Somalia–Sudan Axis: Saudi Support Through Mercenaries and Arms in Both Countries

Media and military sources over recent months have pointed to a common thread linking the growing militarisation and arms transfers in both Somalia and Sudan: Saudi support in the form of funding, weapons, and foreign mercenary personnel operating in both countries.

In Somalia, reports have highlighted what they describe as suspicious Saudi military activity following the visit of a Saudi military delegation to two Somali military training camps in the Guri Jabal area of Galguduud region in Galmudug State, where Riyadh is financing the training programme.

Local reports further claimed that Saudi Arabia secretly recruited mercenaries from Romania, Ukraine, South Africa, and Colombia through unofficial channels to train forces loyal to Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, despite growing public opposition to his administration.

A total of 5,107 Somali soldiers are reportedly undergoing training, including 2,000 recruits enlisted from Somalia’s Northeastern State. The programme is scheduled to run for nine months following the Saudi military delegation’s visit to Somalia at the end of last June. However, concerns have grown that some of those foreign mercenaries are being covertly transferred to Sudan to support the Sudanese army and its Islamist allies.

Concerns among Somali and Sudanese observers intensified after Africa Intelligence reported in February on a covert mission led by Sudanese officers to train Somali militias. According to the report, “a team of Sudanese military personnel trained 1,000 Somali recruits in Galmudug State,” adding that the mission was conducted under the supervision of intelligence services affiliated with President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, whose constitutional term expired in May, amid tensions between Somalia’s federal member states.

Since the first week of June, Somalia has experienced heightened instability following clashes between federal government forces and armed groups aligned with opposition leaders rejecting the extension of President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s tenure, while militant organisations such as Al-Shabaab, Al-Qaeda, and ISIS have reportedly continued operating across different regions of the country.

In Sudan, reports describe similar Saudi support. Gulf Post, citing Intelligence Online, reported that “images, video footage, and intelligence sources consulted in Kyiv showed the use of howitzers on the Sudanese battlefield after they had been delivered by Saudi Arabia to Sudan between 2023 and 2024.”

According to Intelligence Online, it established that Ukrainian mercenaries “trained artillery units of the Sudanese Armed Forces under Abdel Fattah al-Burhan” and their Muslim Brotherhood allies to operate the artillery systems.

The publication further reported that “during 2023 and 2024, Saudi Arabia shipped three batteries of 155mm M777 artillery systems, together with large quantities of ammunition, to the Sudanese army. Several pieces of evidence dated to 2023 allegedly show Ukrainian fighters operating towed M777 howitzers in an environment matching the Sudanese theatre, identified through architectural and vegetation indicators.”

According to the report, Saudi Arabia had previously faced accusations of providing military assistance to the Sudanese army, and these documents are described as “the first tangible evidence directly linking Saudi military systems to operations conducted in the Sudanese theatre.”

The reported overlap between military activities in Sudan and Somalia comes as Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has, according to SudanLeaks, “made explosive remarks reinforcing international and regional accusations directed at the Sudanese army and its Muslim Brotherhood-affiliated militias regarding their extensive use of foreign fighters and mercenaries from multiple African countries to fuel the ongoing conflict.”

SudanLeaks further states that “Abiy Ahmed’s official remarks are consistent with intelligence and international reports indicating that Muslim Brotherhood militias in Sudan, foremost among them the Al-Baraa ibn Malik Battalion—affiliated with the Islamic Movement and designated under U.S. sanctions—have increasingly relied on recruiting mercenaries from Ethiopia and other African countries, in addition to employing Iranian and Ukrainian personnel.”