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The United States has enforced penalties on a operation of four individuals and four companies alleged of recruiting South American contractors to fight for and train a armed faction in Sudan that Washington accuses of committing genocide.

Operation Structure

Disclosing the restrictions on this week, the Treasury stated the network was primarily made up of Colombian nationals and companies.

Numerous of retired Colombian troops have allegedly journeyed to Sudan to fight alongside the Sudanese RSF militia, a group accused of severe violations such as targeted ethnic killings and large-scale abductions.

Revelation of Role

The involvement of Colombian fighters initially emerged last year, after an report which revealed that over three hundred ex-military personnel had been contracted to engage in combat – an discovery that prompted an unprecedented apology from Colombia’s foreign ministry.

Colombian ex-soldiers have widely regarded as highly prized fighters in conflict zones due to their considerable warzone knowledge resulting from a long-running domestic war, training on Western military gear, and elite military instruction.

Role in the Conflict

In the conflict, the mercenaries have reportedly trained child soldiers, instructed militiamen in drone operation, and engaged in frontline combat. An individual involved remarked that training children was "horrific and irrational" but noted that "regrettably, war operates that way".

Named Entities

Among those penalized was Álvaro Andrés Quijano Becerra, a dual Colombian-Italian national and former army officer based in the Dubai. The US authorities alleged he played a central role in hiring and sending ex-military personnel to Sudan. His spouse, Claudia Oliveros, was similarly targeted.

Also on the sanctions list was Mateo Duque Botero, a individual with Colombian and Spanish citizenship who the Treasury stated managed a business linked to handling funds and payroll for the network. "Recently, American entities linked to Duque conducted numerous wire transfers, totalling millions of US dollars," the government release said.

Individual Mónica Muñoz was the final person to be targeted, with the entity she oversaw alleged to have wire transfers associated with Duque and his companies.

"The US once more urges external actors to halt the flow of funding and arms to the belligerents," the department announced.

Reaction

A senior analyst, with the International Crisis Group, labeled the actions as a "major" milestone, stating that "targeting the enablers is the correct approach".

It was also noted that, Colombia ratified a law endorsing the anti-mercenary convention, seeking to reduce its citizens' long history in foreign conflicts and change national security policy.

Another expert, a scholar on the subject, urged more caution, noting that "penalties are required yet incomplete for combating rampant mercenarism".

"It’s an illicit economy and based out of the Emirates, which is difficult to penalize," he said. The UAE has been widely accused of supplying weapons to the paramilitary group, an accusation it has denied. "Expect more Colombian mercenaries," he advised.