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The US government has imposed sanctions on a operation of several persons and entities accused of hiring Colombian mercenaries to fight for and train a armed faction in Sudan which the US alleges of committing genocide.

Group Makeup

Disclosing the restrictions on Tuesday, the Treasury stated the operation was primarily made up of Colombian citizens and firms.

Hundreds of ex-soldiers from Colombia have reportedly travelled to Sudan to combat beside the RSF paramilitary group, a faction implicated in severe violations encompassing massacres based on ethnicity and mass abductions.

Discovery of Participation

The role of these mercenaries was first uncovered last year, after an investigation which found that over three hundred retired troops had been recruited to fight – an event that prompted an unprecedented apology from officials in Bogotá.

Former Colombian military have long been considered as among the world’s most sought-after mercenaries due to their extensive battlefield experience acquired during a long-running domestic war, knowledge of Nato equipment, and elite military instruction.

Activities in Sudan

In the conflict, the contractors have allegedly instructed child soldiers, provided drone warfare training, and engaged in frontline combat. A mercenary remarked that working with child soldiers was "terrible and insane" but noted that "sadly, that is the nature of conflict".

Named Entities

Among those targeted was Álvaro Andrés Quijano Becerra, a dual Colombian-Italian national and retired Colombian military officer based in the United Arab Emirates. The Treasury said he had a key part in enlisting and transporting former Colombian soldiers to Sudan. His wife, Claudia Viviana Oliveros Forero, was also sanctioned.

Also on the restricted list was Mateo Andrés Duque Botero, a dual national who the Treasury stated managed a business accused of handling funds and payroll for the network. "Over the past two years, American entities connected to Duque conducted multiple financial transactions, amounting to millions," the Treasury statement noted.

Individual Mónica Muñoz was the other individual to be sanctioned, with the firm she operated accused of financial transactions linked to Duque and his businesses.

"Washington reiterates its demand for foreign parties to halt the flow of financial and military support to the warring parties," the Treasury stated.

Reaction

An expert, with the International Crisis Group, called the actions as a "major" milestone, saying that "identifying the recruiters is the right way to go".

Furthermore, Bogotá has enacted a statute ratifying the global treaty against mercenarism, designed to limit years of participation by its nationals in overseas wars and transform national security policy.

Sean McFate, an expert on mercenaries, called for greater wariness, saying that "restrictions are needed but not enough for combating the growing mercenary trade".

"This is a shadow economy and based out of the Emirates, which is difficult to penalize," he stated. The UAE has been widely accused of supplying weapons to the paramilitary group, an accusation it has denied. "Expect more Colombian mercenaries," the expert cautioned.