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Takeaways from AP story on child soldiers trained by Colombian mercenaries in Sudan
['Sam Mednick', 'Isabel Debre', 'Astrid Suarez', 'Associated Press']
Standard Democrat Latest News
KHARTOUM, Sudan (AP) — A new report by The Associated Press shows that child soldiers fighting for the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces against Sudan's army have been trained by Colombian mercenaries.
The report is based on rare, firsthand accounts from former child soldiers held at a rehabilitation center run by the military-backed government in the capital, Khartoum.
Ali Qader, the head of the rehabilitation center, said several children told him Colombians trained them at camps around the capital.
A Sudanese military officer said Colombians were training children in and around Khartoum when the RSF held the city.
The U.N. says all sides in the conflict have used child soldiers, including militias allied with the government.