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The United States has levied restrictions on a group of four individuals and four companies accused of hiring former Colombian soldiers to fight for and train a Sudanese paramilitary group which the US alleges of genocidal acts.

Operation Structure

Revealing the measures on Tuesday, the US Treasury Department stated the network was primarily made up of Colombian citizens and firms.

Hundreds of former Colombian military personnel have been recruited to go to the Sudanese warzone to combat beside the Sudanese RSF militia, a faction implicated in severe violations such as targeted ethnic killings and widespread kidnappings.

Discovery of Participation

The participation of ex-soldiers initially emerged the previous year, prompted by an report which found that over three hundred former soldiers had been hired to participate in the war – an discovery that led to an unusual statement of regret from the Colombian government.

Former Colombian military have widely regarded as among the world’s most sought-after mercenaries due to their vast combat experience acquired during years of internal conflict, familiarity with advanced weaponry, and elite military instruction.

Role in the Conflict

In Sudan, the mercenaries have been accused of teaching minors, instructed militiamen in drone operation, and participated in direct battles. A mercenary previously stated that training children was "terrible and insane" but noted that "sadly, that is the nature of conflict".

Sanctioned Individuals

Among those penalized was a dual national, a citizen of both Colombia and Italy and ex-soldier operating from the UAE. The US authorities alleged he played a key part in hiring and sending mercenaries to Sudan. His spouse, Claudia Oliveros, was also sanctioned.

Also on the penalty list was Mateo Duque Botero, a dual Colombian-Spanish citizen who authorities say oversaw a company accused of processing money and salaries for the network. "Over the past two years, US-based firms linked to Duque engaged in several money transfers, totalling millions of US dollars," the Treasury statement stated.

Colombian national Mónica Muñoz was the other individual to be targeted, with the entity she oversaw accused of wire transfers associated with Duque and his operations.

"The US once more urges external actors to stop giving financial and military support to the belligerents," the agency announced.

Reaction

Elizabeth Dickinson, with the International Crisis Group, described the sanctions as a "major" step, stating that "identifying the recruiters is the right way to go".

She added that, Colombia recently passed a law endorsing the anti-mercenary convention, designed to limit years of participation by its nationals in overseas wars and transform domestic defense strategy.

A mercenary specialist, a authority on private military contractors, called for greater wariness, saying that "restrictions are needed but not enough for dealing with widespread use of contractors".

"It’s an illicit economy and based out of the Emirates, which is relatively sanction-proof," he commented. The Emirati government has been repeatedly implicated of arming the RSF, an accusation it has denied. "More contractors from Colombia are likely," McFate warned.