A joint report by The Guardian and Colombian media outlet La Silla Vacía has revealed that a UAE military base in the city of Bosaso in the Bari region is being used as a transit point for Colombian fighters sent to fight in Sudan.
One of the Colombian fighters, who asked not to be named for security reasons, said his journey began in Bogotá, Colombia, where he signed a contract to earn $2,600 a month. He was then taken to Ethiopia, where he was said to have travelled to a UAE base in Bosaso, before being transferred to the Sudanese city of Nyala.
The UAE has been accused of funding and arming the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) fighting the Sudanese government, an accusation Abu Dhabi has consistently denied.
The report shows that Bosaso has become a strategic location for the UAE to use for its military operations in the region, raising questions about Somalia’s role in the Sudanese war and the use of its territory for non-transparent military purposes.
The Bosaso base, which the UAE built several years ago, was initially said to serve as a training base for the Puntland navy, but has been repeatedly reported to have become a military facility that the UAE runs independently.
The UAE has long been accused of funding and arming RSF, although it has consistently denied the allegations. The new report has revived questions about the UAE’s role in the Sudanese war and how Puntland is aware of or allows its territory to be used for covert military operations.
