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The US government has enforced penalties on a network of four individuals and four companies charged of hiring South American contractors to combat alongside and instruct a militia force in Sudan that Washington accuses of genocidal acts.

Operation Structure

Disclosing the sanctions on Tuesday, the US Treasury Department stated the network was mostly comprised of individuals and businesses from Colombia.

Numerous of former Colombian military personnel have allegedly journeyed to the conflict in Sudan to operate with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a faction implicated in severe violations encompassing ethnically targeted slaughter and mass abductions.

Discovery of Participation

The participation of ex-soldiers initially emerged in 2024, after an report which found that more than 300 former soldiers had been recruited to engage in combat – an discovery that led to an unusual statement of regret from Colombia’s foreign ministry.

Former Colombian military have long been considered as among the world’s most sought-after mercenaries due to their considerable warzone knowledge acquired during a long-running domestic war, familiarity with advanced weaponry, and high-level combat training.

Activities in Sudan

In the Sudanese theater, the mercenaries have been accused of teaching minors, taught fighters to pilot drones, and participated in direct battles. A mercenary previously stated that instructing minors was "horrific and irrational" but added that "sadly, that is the nature of conflict".

Targeted Persons

Among those penalized was Álvaro Andrés Quijano Becerra, a dual Colombian-Italian national and ex-soldier located in the UAE. The US authorities said he had a key part in recruiting and deploying ex-military personnel to Sudan. His wife, Claudia Viviana Oliveros Forero, was penalized as well.

Also on the sanctions list was Mateo Duque Botero, a dual Colombian-Spanish citizen who authorities say oversaw a company implicated in managing finances and payments for the scheme. "Over the past two years, US-based firms associated with Duque conducted several money transfers, amounting to millions," the Treasury statement noted.

Colombian national Mónica Muñoz Ucros was the other individual to be penalized, with the entity she oversaw alleged to have financial transactions associated with Duque and his companies.

"The US once more urges foreign parties to cease providing funding and arms to the combatants," the department stated.

Expert Analysis

Elizabeth Dickinson, from a conflict think tank, labeled the sanctions as a "very significant" development, saying that "targeting the enablers is the proper strategy".

Furthermore, Bogotá ratified a statute ratifying the anti-mercenary convention, aiming to curb its citizens' long history in overseas wars and change its security approach.

Sean McFate, a scholar on the subject, called for greater wariness, stating that "sanctions are necessary but insufficient for combating widespread use of contractors".

"It operates in the black market and centered in the Emirates, which is relatively sanction-proof," he said. The Emirati government has been repeatedly implicated of arming the RSF, claims it rejects. "More contractors from Colombia are likely," he advised.