Hundreds of Sudanese mercenaries have recently joined Khalifa Haftar's forces, The Guardian has reported.

Leaders of two different groups of Sudanese fighters active in Libya told The Guardian on Tuesday that they had received hundreds of new recruits in recent months, saying they there are at least 3000 fighters now, which is significantly more than previous estimates.

"Some of the biggest Sudanese groups based in Libya once fought in Darfur, the restive western region of Sudan." The Sudanese mercenary commanders said, adding that the new wave of recruits included many who had fought against the rule of Omar al-Bashir, who was deposed in April.

One said that many had been recruited in Darfur in recent months while others had travelled from there to Libya to enlist.

A recent UN panel of experts' report has revealed that mercenaries fighting for Haftar's forces included 500 from Sudan Liberation armed faction and 600 from the Gathering of Sudan Liberation Forces, while 700 mercenaries were from Chadian Tanaweb and Witaq Front. This is coupled with 1000 mercenaries from Sudanese Rapid Support of the Sovereignty Council led by Mohammed Daglo; A.K.A. Hamitti.