It was reported that Mr. Uribe left his wife and three children one day after telling her he had “a very good job opportunity” in an interview with a local radio station. The woman identified herself as Mr. Uribe’s wife.
She claimed that an investigation into her husband’s involvement in the false positives case had been conducted, but that he had been cleared.
It is claimed that the accused left Bogotá as early as May and flew to Panama, where they stayed for a few days before heading to the Dominican Republic and Haiti. A few more arrived in early June and then departed for Haiti.
With the help of U.S. military aid and training, Colombia’s armed forces have fought left-wing guerrillas, paramilitaries, and drug traffickers for decades. Young Colombian men have been drafted into the military for decades, but they are often left with few career options when they leave the military.
People looking for a hired gun are drawn to them because of this. To aid Yemen’s civil war in 2015, for example, the United Arab Emirates secretly sent hundreds of Colombian soldiers to the country. Many Colombians stayed because of the high pay; they were paid up to $3,000 per month, compared to about $400 per month back home.
Security expert Paul Angelo told the Council on Foreign Relations that skills learned by members of the economic underclass aren’t easily transferable to the civilian sector, except in the case of private security.
Gen. Luis Fernando Navarro, Colombia’s army chief, said on Friday that the accused individuals left the military between 2002 and 2018. He described the men as engaging in “mercenary activities” with “purely economic” motivations.
From Mexico City, Natalie Kitroeff and Anatoly Kurmanaev were joined by Catherine Porter and Julie Turkewitz. From the United States, reporting was provided by Julian Barnes, Eric Schmitt, and Adam Goldman; Sofi Villamil from Cartagena, Colombia; Edinson Bolaos from Bogotá; Simon Romero and Milo Milford and Harold Isaac from Port-au-Prince; Andre Paulte and Milo Milford and Harold Isaac from the United Kingdom.
