The Desert Wolves are a private battalion of retired Colombian Armed Forces personnel fighting alongside the Rapid Support Forces in the ongoing Sudanese civil war. [1] It consists of four companies comprising between 300 and 400 mercenaries in total. The first company arrived in Al-Fashir, North Darfur, in November 2024. [2]
According to Notices Caracol newspaper, the battalion was recruited by private security companies in the United Arab Emirates under the coordination of Álvaro Quijano, a retired colonel of the Colombian Army. [3] [4] According to Sudan Events, Emirati firms have previously deployed Colombian ex-soldiers in Yemen, Libya, and Somalia. [4] Responding to accusations from Sudanese government authorities, a UAE official denied the allegations and called them fabricated. [5]