US Sanctions Colombian Firms for Mercenary Recruitment in Sudan Conflict

The U.S. has sanctioned three Colombians and two firms for recruiting mercenaries to aid Sudan's Rapid Support Forces in an ongoing war. These sanctions follow previous actions against the RSF, accused of war crimes. The conflict has resulted in massive humanitarian needs, affecting millions in Sudan.

The United States has imposed sanctions on three Colombian nationals and two Colombian firms for allegedly recruiting Colombian mercenaries to fight alongside Sudan's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). Announced by the Department of Treasury on Friday, these sanctions are the latest in a series by the U.S. against the RSF, which has been warring with the Sudanese military since April 2023.

Accused of committing atrocities amounting to war crimes and crimes against humanity, the RSF has deep roots in Sudan's harrowing history. Their origins trace back to the feared Arab Janjaweed militias, infamous for their brutal atrocities across Darfur in the early 2000s. The Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control identified the firms and individuals involved in recruiting former Colombian military personnel to bolster the RSF's forces.

The sanctioned entities include Fénix, a Bogota-based employment agency, and GQAB, another recruitment agency, alongside individuals linked to these firms. The conflict, igniting in Khartoum in April 2023, has escalated into a full-scale crisis, displacing millions and resulting in the deaths of approximately 59,000 people, as per reports from the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project.

(With inputs from agencies.)