Full Report
A video of some rocky outcrops in the Libyan desert geolocated by Bellingcat may hold clues about the journey of a missing Colombian who is among several reportedly recruited and sent to Sudan’s civil war, where his fate remains unknown. According to reports by Colombian media and the Wall Street Journal, more than a hundred […] The post Colombian Mercenaries in Transit to Sudan via Libya – What do we Know? appeared first on bellingcat.
Analysis Summary
# Main Topic
Recruitment and transit of Colombian mercenaries who were reportedly sent to fight for the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Sudan's civil war, utilizing Libya as a key transit hub. An investigation centers on a missing Colombian national, Christian Lombana Moncayo, whose journey was tracked through digital evidence.
## Key Points
- Over one hundred Colombian ex-soldiers were reportedly recruited to fight alongside the RSF in Sudan.
- Recruitment operations suggest involvement of a Colombian security company allegedly linked to the UAE.
- Insiders reported being misled about their final destination, with the transit route confirmed to be via Libya (likely Benghazi) toward Sudan.
- Digital forensics (geolocation of a final TikTok video) confirmed Christian Lombana Moncayo's presence on a road in southwestern Libya in mid-November 2024, heading toward Al-Jawf, near the Sudanese border.
- Moncayo's passport and documents were later exhibited by the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) following an alleged ambush on an RSF convoy near the Libya/Chad/Sudan borders around November 21, 2024.
- Moncayo's travel included initial stops in Abu Dhabi (UAE) before proceeding to Libya.
## Threat Actors
- **Primary Recruited Group:** Colombian ex-soldiers/mercenaries (number estimated over a hundred).
- **Alleged Employer/Recruiter:** A Colombian security company with alleged links to the UAE.
- **Beneficiary/User of Forces:** Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Sudan, reportedly backed by the UAE.
- **Adversary Actors (Interdicting):** Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), who captured the documents of the missing mercenary.
## TTPs
- **Recruitment Deception:** Misleading recruited individuals about the ultimate destination (Sudan).
- **International Transit Facilitation:** Utilizing multiple countries (Colombia $\rightarrow$ UAE $\rightarrow$ Libya) as staging and transit points for moving personnel to the conflict zone.
- **Logistics:** Reliance on road transport through the Libyan desert toward the Sudanese border from staging points like Benghazi.
- **Evidence Handling (SAF):** Displaying captured personal documents of enemy combatants following an ambush.
## Affected Systems
- **Personnel/Victims:** Over one hundred Colombian ex-soldiers, including Christian Lombana Moncayo.
- **Geographic Sectors:** Documented transit routes included Bogotá, Paris, Abu Dhabi (UAE), and a key geolocation in southwestern Libya ($\sim$25.099960, 22.955852), en route to the Sudan civil war theater.
## Mitigations
*Note: As the investigation focuses on tracking the movements of individuals (mercenaries) rather than a cyber intrusion, mitigations are focused on counter-recruitment and operational security monitoring.*
- **Intelligence Monitoring:** Increased scrutiny of travel patterns and digital footprints (social media, flight data) associated with personnel movements aligning with known mercenary transit corridors (e.g., UAE to Libya).
- **Diplomatic Intervention:** Colombian government action (as initiated by President Petro) to seek the return of citizens involved in the conflict.
- **Verification of Employment Claims:** Increased vetting and awareness among former military personnel regarding third-party security contracts involving volatile regions like Sudan.
## Conclusion
The intelligence confirms a sophisticated transnational operation involving the recruitment of Colombian nationals, facilitated through the UAE, and routed via Libya to reinforce the RSF in Sudan. The fate of at least one individual, Christian Lombana Moncayo, is directly tied to conflict events along the border region, demonstrated by the geolocation of his final known movements and the subsequent recovery of his documentation by opposing forces. This highlights the ongoing internationalization of the Sudanese civil war through private military contracting.