Business Insider quotes Africa Center Nonresident Senior Fellow Sean McFate on the United Arab Emirates’ recruitment and training of Colombian mercenaries to fight in Yemen:
The development of the mercenary force, which is largely comprised of fighters from Colombia, allows the wealthy Gulf nation to engage in combat operations abroad with little risk to their own citizens. “Mercenaries are an attractive option for rich countries who wish to wage war yet whose citizens may not want to fight,” Atlantic Council Senior Fellow Sean McFate told the Times.