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The United States has enforced penalties on a network of four people and four firms alleged of recruiting Colombian mercenaries to combat alongside and instruct a armed faction in Sudan that Washington accuses of genocidal acts.

Group Makeup

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

Hundreds of retired Colombian troops have been recruited to go to Sudan to combat beside the Sudanese RSF militia, a force linked to terrible atrocities such as massacres based on ethnicity and widespread kidnappings.

Revelation of Role

The participation of ex-soldiers was first uncovered last year, following an investigation which revealed that more than 300 former soldiers had been contracted to engage in combat – an discovery that prompted an rare mea culpa from Colombia’s foreign ministry.

Former Colombian military have historically been seen as some of the most in-demand contractors globally due to their extensive battlefield experience resulting from a long-running domestic war, training on Western military gear, and high-level combat training.

Role in the Conflict

In the conflict, the Colombians have been accused of teaching child soldiers, taught fighters to pilot drones, and engaged in frontline combat. One source remarked that training children was "terrible and insane" but added that "regrettably, war operates that way".

Sanctioned Individuals

Among those targeted was Álvaro Andrés Quijano Becerra, a individual with dual citizenship and former army officer located in the United Arab Emirates. The US authorities accused him a key part in recruiting and deploying mercenaries to Sudan. His wife, Claudia Oliveros, was similarly targeted.

Also on the penalty list was Mateo Andrés Duque Botero, a dual national who the Treasury stated oversaw a company accused of handling funds and payroll for the recruitment operation. "Over the past two years, American entities connected to Duque engaged in multiple financial transactions, totalling millions of US dollars," the government release noted.

Individual Mónica Muñoz was the final person to be targeted, with the company she managed accused of wire transfers associated with Duque and his businesses.

"Washington reiterates its demand for external actors to cease providing monetary and weaponry aid to the belligerents," the department stated.

Reaction

A senior analyst, senior analyst at the International Crisis Group, described the actions as a "very significant" development, saying that "targeting the enablers is the right way to go".

She added that, the Colombian government ratified a piece of legislation ratifying the global treaty against mercenarism, seeking to reduce years of participation by its nationals in foreign conflicts and reshape domestic defense strategy.

Another expert, a authority on private military contractors, advised additional measures, noting that "sanctions are necessary but insufficient for dealing with widespread use of contractors".

"This is a shadow economy and operating from Dubai, which is largely insulated from sanctions," he commented. The United Arab Emirates has been frequently alleged of arming the RSF, allegations it disputes. "This trend will probably continue," he advised.