Saudi Arabia Increases Reliance on African and Latin Mercenaries for Yemen War Effort Following Arab Allies’ Withdrawal

With Saudi Arabia’s military intervention in Yemen having entered its third year, with few tangible gains having been made since the very first months of the campaign, Riyadh has reportedly sought to hire armed assistance to reduce pressure on its own armed forces in the fight against Yemen’s Ansurallah Coalition forces. Saudi Arabia entered the war leading a large coalition alongside the United Arab Emirates, with a number of states including Morocco, Sudan, Bahrain, Qatar, Egypt and Jordan committing forces to the campaign. A number of these have withdrawn support for the war effort, with Morocco having already withdrawn, Sudan considering a withdrawal, Egypt having reduced its support and Qatar having switched its allegiance and reportedly providing support to militias fighting against Saudi Arabia. With Saudi forces suffering heavy casualties and abandonment by a number of allies, recruitment of mercenary forces could well be an effective means to compensate for these losses and sustain the war effort against Yemen’s Ansurallah Coalition forces with the deployment of fresh troops.

Riyadh has recently sought an agreement with Chad to provide forces to the Arab Kingdom’s war effort, with Chadian President Idriss Deby reportedly visiting Riyadh in April. The UAE too has reportedly sought to recruit some 10,000 personnel from Uganda. While these African states having little to gain from the Arab war effort, they are set to be compensated financially for their contributions by the oil rich Middle Eastern monarchies. Though this will represent an expansion of the contribution made by mercenary forces, such troops have been deployed since the war’s outset. A report by the New York Times in 2015 stated that the UAE had deployed large numbers of Chilean, Salvadoran, Panamanian and Colombian mercenaries, which have reportedly also suffered heavy losses since their deployment when operating in Yemen’s harsh terrain. Colombians have notably been favoured by Abu Dhabi over other South American combatants due to their extensive experience in guerrilla warfare, which has come as a result of decades battling insurgent groups and drug traders in the country’s harsh jungle climates. The Colombian military has expressed frustration at having many of its finest personnel lured away in large numbers to fight in the Middle East for profit.

With Saudi Arabia and the UAE maintaining among the highest defence expenditures in the world, deploying some of the most sophisticated Western made hardware to the war, their performance has been largely underwhelming. Sean McFate, senior fellow at the Atlantic Council and author of ‘The Modern Mercenary,’ stated regarding the growing reliance on mercenary forces by such wealthy states: “Mercenaries are an attractive option for rich countries who wish to wage war yet whose citizens may not want to fight. The private military industry is global now.” The expert noted that the United States had essentially “legitimised” the industry due to its heavy reliance on contractors such as Blackwater in its war efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan. “Latin American mercenaries are a sign of what’s to come,” he added. Combatants from Blackwater have themselves also been contracted for deployment to Yemen by the Arab kingdoms.