The US has imposed sanctions on a network it says is recruiting former Colombian soldiers and training individuals to fight in Sudan’s civil war.
Eight entities and individuals – primarily of Colombian nationality – have been aiding the Sudanese paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), the US Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) said on Tuesday.
Its statement added that hundreds of Colombian mercenaries have travelled to Sudan since 2024, including to serve as infantry and drone pilots for the RSF.
Last year, Colombian President Gustavo Petro said those who “spill young blood for money in foreign countries must be punished criminally”.
The participation of soldiers – both former and active – in foreign conflicts dates back decades to the US wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, in exchange for American military aid in Colombia’s war on drugs and armed groups.
“This created an even greater number of Colombian soldiers who, two decades later, are beginning to retire without a sufficient source of income,” a retired military officer turned academic told BBC Mundo.
Alfonso Manzur explained that as a result, “we see more Colombian ex-soldiers on missions abroad”.
Retired Colombian soldiers are commonly recruited under false promises of low-risk work, before appearing on the frontlines, such as in the current conflict between Russia and Ukraine, and in Sudan.
In 2024, the Colombian foreign ministry said it was aware of citizens being deceived by what it called “sophisticated human trafficking networks”, and becoming mercenaries in international conflicts.
Souce: bbc.com
