Khaberni - The U.S. Treasury Department imposed financial sanctions on companies and individuals on Friday, saying they were involved in recruiting former Colombian military personnel to fight for the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces against the Sudanese army.
Among those targeted by the sanctions:
Company "Phoenix Human Resources S.A.S.", an employment agency based in the capital Bogotá.
Former Colombian army Colonel José Oscar Garcia Bat, who owns a recruitment company also based in Bogotá.
Company "Global Coa Humana S.A.S.", and its manager Omar Fernando Garcia Pati.
The new sanctions imposed on these companies and individuals involve freezing all their properties and balances within the United States.
Killing for Money
The U.S. Treasury explained in a statement that hundreds of former Colombian troops had gone to Sudan to fight in the ranks of the Rapid Support Forces, accusing them of fueling one of the worst humanitarian crises and famine situations in the world.
An investigation by the French Press Agency earlier revealed that hundreds of former Colombian soldiers had moved to Sudan to participate in the ongoing war there, in exchange for attractive salaries.
At the end of last month, a United Nations task force on mercenaries in the Colombian capital Bogotá revealed that about 10,000 Colombian mercenaries had been recruited over the past ten years to participate in armed conflicts around the world, including in Sudan, Ukraine, Yemen, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
On December 3, 2024, the Sudanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that it had received an apology from Colombia for some of its citizens participating in the fighting alongside the "Rapid Support" forces.
The Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces have been waging a war since mid-April 2023, which has resulted in the death of more than 20,000 people and the displacement and refuge of about 15 million, according to the United Nations and local authorities. Meanwhile, a study conducted by American universities estimated the death toll at about 130,000.
