The United States could be sanctioned for the presence of German military hardware which has ended up in Colombia, reported Caracol Radio, after a German newspaper revealed the export to Colombia of about 100,000 unauthorized weapons.
After a German made SP2022 pistol was found in the hands of a young Colombian police officer, the German newspaper Suddeutsche Zeitung reported the incident and claimed that the United States could be sanctioned due to the export to Colombia of about 100,000 German made weapons without permission.
The German newspaper noted that the seriousness of the matter is due to the fact the Federal Office of Economics and Export Control, prohibits guns manufactured in Germany to be exported to countries afflicted by internal armed conflicts.
Furthermore, countries that implement repressive measures or experience recurring violations of human rights are also banned from receiving German made weapons. Colombia fits into all these categories.
The newspaper claims that the gun, produced by arms manufacturer Sig Sauer, was manufactured in Germany in 2010 and appeared a few months later in Colombia.
Sig Sauer said that it sent a large quantity of guns to the US between 2009 and 2011, due to the fact that the Federal Office of Economics and Export Control of Germany has approved the export because Washington had signed the relevant “end-user certificate” ensuring that the weapons would not leave the country.
The U.S. military received the SP2022, but it appears that it shared many of these guns with the Colombian security forces without asking Germany to authorize the export again.
Sources
