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The Washington has imposed sanctions on a group of four individuals and four companies alleged of enlisting South American contractors to support and educate a Sudanese paramilitary group that Washington accuses of committing genocide.

Operation Structure

Announcing the sanctions on this week, the Treasury stated the scheme was largely composed of individuals and businesses from Colombia.

Numerous of former Colombian military personnel have reportedly travelled to the Sudanese warzone to operate with the Sudanese RSF militia, a force accused of severe violations including ethnically targeted slaughter and large-scale abductions.

Revelation of Role

The involvement of Colombian fighters was first uncovered last year, prompted by an inquiry which revealed that over three hundred former soldiers had been contracted to engage in combat – an revelation that prompted an rare mea culpa from the Colombian government.

Colombian ex-soldiers have long been considered as among the world’s most sought-after mercenaries due to their considerable warzone knowledge acquired during years of internal conflict, familiarity with Nato equipment, and superior tactical education.

Role in the Conflict

In the Sudanese theater, the Colombians have allegedly instructed minors, provided drone warfare training, and engaged in frontline combat. An individual involved was quoted as saying that instructing minors was "terrible and insane" but commented that "regrettably, war operates that way".

Sanctioned Individuals

Among those targeted was a retired Colombian officer, a individual with dual citizenship and ex-soldier based in the UAE. The government accused him a central role in recruiting and deploying mercenaries to Sudan. His wife, Claudia Viviana Oliveros Forero, was penalized as well.

Also on the restricted list was Mateo Andrés Duque Botero, a dual Colombian-Spanish citizen who the Treasury stated managed a business linked to handling funds and payroll for the recruitment operation. "Over the past two years, US-based firms connected to Duque conducted numerous wire transfers, totalling millions of US dollars," the official announcement said.

Colombian national Mónica Muñoz was the other individual to be targeted, with the entity she oversaw alleged to have money transfers associated with Duque and his companies.

"The United States again calls on external actors to cease providing monetary and weaponry aid to the combatants," the Treasury said in a statement.

Reaction

Elizabeth Dickinson, with the International Crisis Group, described the actions as a "major" development, stating that "calling out those who are doing the contracting is the correct approach".

It was also noted that, Bogotá has enacted a piece of legislation ratifying the anti-mercenary convention, seeking to reduce years of participation by its nationals in overseas wars and change domestic defense strategy.

Sean McFate, an expert on mercenaries, advised additional measures, noting that "sanctions are necessary but insufficient for combating rampant mercenarism".

"This is a shadow economy and operating from the Emirates, which is largely insulated from sanctions," he said. The Emirati government has been repeatedly implicated of providing arms to the militia, an accusation it has denied. "More contractors from Colombia are likely," McFate warned.