NAIROBI
Sudan confirmed Monday that Colombia has apologized for the involvement of some of its citizens as mercenaries within the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
The apology came during a phone call between Sudanese Foreign Minister Ali Yusuf and his Colombian counterpart Luis Gilberto Murillo, according to a statement by the Sudanese Foreign Ministry.
Murillo expressed regret over the participation of Colombian nationals in the war alongside the RSF, condemning their actions and stressing Colombia’s commitment to resolving the situation and ensuring the return of its citizens, the statement said.
Yusuf in turn expressed his surprise and sadness over the involvement of Colombians in the war against the Sudanese people.
He reiterated Sudan’s readiness to cooperate with Colombia to prevent such incidents in the future and preserve the friendly relations between the two countries.
Yusuf also emphasized that the RSF has been classified by Sudan as a rebel and terrorist militia responsible for numerous crimes and violations against Sudanese civilians.
Media reports revealed that Colombia had apologized on Sunday via its Ambassador to Cairo, Anne Melania de Gaviria, for the participation of its citizens in the ongoing war in Sudan.
Gaviria met with Sudan’s Ambassador to Egypt, Emad-Eddin Mustafa Adawi, in the Egyptian capital and conveyed her country’s strong shock and disapproval upon discovering that its citizens were involved in the ongoing conflict.
She condemned their actions as irresponsible and emphasized that the Colombian government neither supports such behavior nor has any ties to the forces fighting in the war.
On Nov. 21, a joint force of armed groups allied with Sudan’s army ambushed an RSF supply convoy, capturing several Colombian soldiers and killing others. They also seized identity documents belonging to the Colombian mercenaries.
The forces posted a video on their official Facebook page showing the documents.
As of now, the RSF has not issued any official statement regarding the capture or involvement of foreign fighters.
Since mid-April last year, the Sudanese army and the RSF have been engaged in a conflict that has resulted in more than 20,000 deaths and displaced nearly 10 million people, according to the UN.
There have been growing calls from the UN and international bodies to end the conflict, as the war has pushed millions of Sudanese to the brink of famine and death due to food shortages, with the fighting spreading to 13 of Sudan’s 18 states.
