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Child Soldiers Forced to Fight Jets in Sudan War, Say Survivors
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In Short: Survivors of Sudan's Rapid Support Forces describe being trained by Colombian mercenaries and forced to fight jets during the ongoing conflict in Khartoum.
Two former child soldiers have spoken out about their experiences as captives of Sudan's Rapid Support Forces (RSF), detailing how they were trained by Colombian mercenaries and forced to engage in combat against jets over Khartoum.
The boys, now 17 and 15, recounted being bound to weapons and artillery pieces, with the mercenaries instructing them on how to operate heavy artillery and drones.
They described being beaten and deprived of basic hygiene, with some 10,000 Colombians hired for foreign wars, including in Sudan, according to the U.N.
The testimonies highlight the involvement of foreign mercenaries in the conflict, with one boy saying he was beaten unconscious by a Colombian, while the other described being forced to stay outside while jets flew overhead, strapped to a vehicle.
The accounts underscore the brutal conditions faced by child soldiers in the ongoing war, which has been ongoing for four years and has seen the use of foreign mercenaries in Sudan's internal conflict.
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What's still developing
- As their captors sought cover, the terrified children were ordered to stay and shoot down the jets over the capital, Khartoum.
- The boy, now 17, told The Associated Press that those who ordered him strapped to the gun were Colombian mercenaries providing military aid to Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces against the army in the war, now in its…
- Another child said he was forced to carry out artillery strikes and beaten for disobedience.
- The paramilitaries were searching for deserters and seized him by mistake, he said.
- “We weren’t allowed to bathe. Instead, they would pour water over us while we were still bound,” he said.
- He said dozens of foreign mercenaries were at the base, described as Colombians by the RSF fighters there.
- They told RSF fighters to bind the children to the weapons so they couldn’t escape, he said.
- “When the planes flew overhead, the Colombians would retreat to their bunkers, leaving us outside shackled to the vehicles,” the teenager said.
Sources
- AP Newslink