Sudan Conflict Forces Child Soldiers to Fire Anti-Aircraft Guns While Shackled
Six former child soldiers abducted by Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF) described being shackled to anti-aircraft guns and artillery, trained by Colombian mercenaries, and forced to fight in Khartoum during the war now in its fourth year amid the Sudan conflict.
Child Soldiers’ Accounts of Captivity and Combat
The teenagers were rounded up in Omdurman, held at RSF camps such as Central Reserve Camp and al-Konan with hands bound continuously, and beaten for disobedience including with electric batons. [1] One boy who was 15 at the time said he was seized in a market while selling cigarettes and later held with dozens of other children whose hands remained bound even while eating. [1] He described being forced to fire an anti-aircraft gun mounted on a pickup during Sudanese warplane attacks, with his hands and legs shackled to the weapon and another child chained to the steering wheel. [1] The second boy, also taken at age 15, said he was held at the al-Konan camp, locked up except when brought out for artillery strikes, and beaten with an electric baton when he refused to fire. [1] He recounted seeing civilians through drone cameras used to select targets. [1] One boy witnessed an 18-year-old friend shot dead by the RSF while trying to flee; another carried the body away and continues to suffer nightmares. [1] Both boys said Colombian mercenaries ordered the children shackled to the weapons during air attacks and retreated to bunkers while the children remained exposed. [1]
Role of Colombian Mercenaries with the RSF
Colombian mercenaries trained the children on anti-aircraft guns, heavy artillery and drones, ordered them shackled to weapons during air attacks, and retreated to bunkers while the children remained exposed. [1] Human Rights Watch, Conflict Insights Group and Sudanese military sources report Colombian mercenaries recruited via an Emirati contractor, trained in UAE bases, and deployed with the RSF in both Darfur and Khartoum, including during the capture of El Fasher. [1] A Colombian mercenary who fought in Darfur for six months in 2025 told the AP that hundreds of Colombians were on the front lines with the RSF and involved in training recruits, and that he saw children as young as 13 fighting with the RSF. [1] A former RSF fighter who defected said he saw Colombians training children in Khartoum in July 2024. [1] A Sudanese military officer with knowledge of the situation said Colombians were training children in and around Khartoum when the RSF held the city. [1]
Sudanese refugees arrive at a camp in Chad amid ongoing conflict. — Source: reliefweb
Rehabilitation Efforts and Scale of Child Recruitment
Both children spoke at a facility run by the military-backed government on Khartoum’s outskirts, where more than 200 former child soldiers were being rehabilitated. [1] Tens of thousands of children are believed conscripted by all sides in the Sudan conflict; child recruitment is a war crime. [1] Over 200 former child soldiers are now being rehabilitated at a military-backed facility on Khartoum’s outskirts. [1] The Colombian government said it has no official information confirming allegations that Colombians recruited or trained child soldiers in Sudan but condemned such abuses. [1] A member of the military media office accompanied the AP during the visit but did not choose who the AP interviewed. [1]
Recent RSF Attacks and Cross-Border Impact
Nine civilians including two women were killed in a separate RSF attack in North Kordofan where a market and health center were looted. [3] A new influx of Sudanese refugees continues into Chad amid border incidents involving drones. [2] The situation along the border with Sudan remains marked by persistent risks, particularly in the province of Wadi Fira. [2] On 21 July 2026, incidents involving drones were reported near the border locality of Tiné. [2] At Indour, approximately 22 km from the border, a water point was hit. [2]
Former child soldiers describe being shackled to RSF anti-aircraft guns during Sudan fighting. — Source: anadolu
International Entanglements and Denials
Human rights groups and Sudan’s military accuse the UAE of arming the RSF, and a U.N. panel said it had tracked weapons shipments to the RSF originating in the Gulf federation that includes Dubai. [1] The UAE did not respond to multiple requests for comment and has previously denied arming the RSF, saying the shipments in question were of humanitarian aid for refugees. [1] Multiple countries are entangled in Sudan’s conflict, and other foreigners, including Russians and Ukrainians, have taken part in hostilities. [1] Some 10,000 Colombians have hired themselves out for foreign wars, including in Somalia, Ukraine and Sudan, according to the U.N. [1] A recent law bars Colombians from fighting in foreign conflicts, but veteran groups say recruitment has continued. [1] Human Rights Watch and Conflict Insights Group have documented the presence of Colombian mercenaries alongside the RSF in Sudan’s western region of Darfur. [1] The UAE denied allegations at the time, telling the BBC it had no involvement in recruiting or training foreign fighters and that it would investigate and prosecute any entity suspected of doing so. [1]
What to Watch Next
The situation sécuritaire au Tchad demeure globalement stable, but remains marked by risks along the border with Sudan.
