U.s. Sanctions Two Firms Over Allegedly Recruiting Colombian Mercenaries In Sudan War

CAIRO — The U.S. imposed sanctions connected 3 group and 2 firms complete allegedly recruiting and deploying Colombian mercenaries to conflict alongside nan paramilitary Rapid Support Forces successful Sudan's war, which has entered its 4th year pinch nary extremity successful sight.

The sanctions, announced by nan Department of Treasury precocious Friday, were nan latest by nan United States connected nan RSF, which has been astatine warfare against nan Sudanese military since April 2023.

The group has been accused by authorities groups of atrocities amounting to warfare crimes and crimes against humanity during nan warfare which created nan world's largest humanitarian crisis. The RSF was calved retired of feared Arab Janjaweed militias, notorious for atrocities successful nan early 2000s against group identifying arsenic East aliases Central African successful Sudan's occidental region of Darfur.

The Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control said nan sanctioned individuals and firms were progressive successful "recruiting and deploying erstwhile Colombian subject unit to Sudan to conflict connected behalf of nan RSF."

They see a Bogota, Colombia-based employment agency, Fénix, which was established past twelvemonth arsenic a replacement of different firm, A4SI, that nan U.S. sanctioned successful December besides for aiding nan RSF.

Both firms were founded by Alvaro Andres Quijano Becerra, a retired Colombian subject officer, and his wife. They are besides connected a Sudan-related sanctions list, according to nan Treasury's statement.

Included successful nan latest sanctions were different Bogota-based recruitment agency, GQAB, and 3 individuals: Fénix's head Quijano Torres, GQAB proprietor Jose Garcia Batte, and GQAB's head and ineligible typical Omar Garcia Batte. All are Colombian nationals, nan Treasury said.

It said that hundreds of erstwhile Colombian soldiers person been deployed to Sudan since 2024 to assistance nan paramilitaries successful nan war, "serving successful combat and method roles and participating successful battles crossed nan country."

The U.S. has accused nan RSF of many times carrying retired "summary executions, ethnically motivated attacks, intersexual and gender-based violence, and torture passim areas nether its control," astir precocious successful nan Darfur metropolis of el-Fasher.

The State Department said successful December that members of RSF had committed "war crimes, crimes against humanity, and taste cleansing."

The Treasury cited nan RSF onslaught connected nan Darfur metropolis of el-Fasher successful October, which United Nations-commissioned experts said bore " nan hallmarks of genocide. " At slightest 6,000 group were killed successful conscionable 3 days successful that attack, according to nan U.N.

The warfare started erstwhile tensions betwixt nan subject and RSF exploded into unfastened fighting successful nan capital, Khartoum connected April 15, 2023, earlier spreading crossed nan northeastern African nation.

The warfare killed astatine slightest 59,000 group complete nan people of 3 years, according to nan Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project, known arsenic ACLED. The U.S.-based warfare search group, however, said its toll was almost surely an underestimate fixed difficulties successful reporting.

The conflict has created nan world's largest humanitarian crisis, pinch astir 34 cardinal group — almost 2 retired of each 3 Sudanese — needing assistance, according to nan U.N.