by MAWADDA ISKANDAR
Abu Dhabi’s global mercenary network deploys foreign fighters to crush dissent, pursue expansionist ambitions, and support Israel’s regional geopolitical agenda.
Fleeing its notorious record and mounting international legal scrutiny, Blackwater, the world’s most infamous private military company, found safe harbor in the Persian Gulf. There, the UAE opened its coffers, welcoming the mercenary firm with open arms. A new empire was forged on a brutal foundation: safeguarding monarchies and executing foreign agendas in exchange for cash, immunity, and impunity.
In 2009, Blackwater rebranded as Xe Services LLC after a string of war crimes in Iraq, notably the Nisour Square massacre in Baghdad two years earlier. The cosmetic change masked a continuity of purpose, which is circumventing international law and orchestrating illicit operations from the shadows.
Founder Erik Prince officially stepped down but relocated to the UAE in 2010, where he launched Reflex Responses (also known as R2) and retained a 51 percent stake, ushering in a new era of industrial-scale mercenary recruitment.
City of Mercenaries
By 2011, the outlines of a covert UAE mercenary army had emerged, tasked with exerting influence across West Asia and Africa. This was no accident as Blackwater played a central role, with then-Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed (MbZ) serving as one of its chief patrons.
A host of enabling conditions made the project viable. Abu Dhabi had become a haven for fugitives and illicit finance. South America’s Colombia became the recruitment bedrock through an agreement to build a mercenary force led by former FBI agent Ricky Chambers, a close Prince ally. These mercenaries received the “Rincón” designation, granting them immunity from prosecution under the UAE’s military intelligence apparatus.
In May 2011, the New York Times (NYT) exposed details of 800 men who entered the Persian Gulf state disguised as construction workers but were swiftly transferred to Zayed Military City via a Prince-run company, forming part of a $500-million deal. By July 2017, LobeLog reported hundreds of foreign fighters had been deployed to Yemen, including 450 Latin Americans from nations like Panama, El Salvador, and Chile.
By 2022, the Washington Post revealed that over 500 retired US military personnel had been hired as contractors by Persian Gulf states, including the UAE, for salaries up to $300,000 per year. Colombian fighters continued to arrive via GSSG and A4S International, then were dispatched to frontlines across West Asia.
From internal repression to regional conquest
The UAE’s first contract with Blackwater in 2010 focused on protecting the sheikhdom. MbZ, skeptical of his own army’s loyalty, brought in foreign officers to secure palaces, oil infrastructure, and suppress dissent. These mercenaries tortured political detainees, maintained weapons systems, and served as a Praetorian Guard for the Emirati elite.
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