Desert Wolves

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]

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] 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 involvement.^[5]