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The United States has enforced penalties on a operation of four people and four firms alleged of recruiting former Colombian soldiers to fight for and train a militia force in Sudan that Washington accuses of committing genocide.

Group Makeup

Announcing the sanctions on Tuesday, the Treasury stated the network was primarily made up of Colombian citizens and firms.

Numerous of former Colombian military personnel have been recruited to go to the Sudanese warzone to fight alongside the RSF paramilitary group, a group implicated in terrible atrocities including massacres based on ethnicity and widespread kidnappings.

Revelation of Role

The involvement of Colombian fighters first came to light the previous year, following an report which found that over three hundred former soldiers had been recruited to engage in combat – an discovery that prompted an unprecedented apology from Colombia’s foreign ministry.

Colombian ex-soldiers have widely regarded as some of the most in-demand contractors globally due to their extensive battlefield experience resulting from years of internal conflict, training on Nato equipment, and superior tactical education.

Role in the Conflict

In the Sudanese theater, the mercenaries have allegedly instructed minors, instructed militiamen in drone operation, and fought directly on the frontlines. An individual involved remarked that instructing minors was "terrible and insane" but noted that "sadly, that is the nature of conflict".

Sanctioned Individuals

Among those penalized was a retired Colombian officer, a citizen of both Colombia and Italy and retired Colombian military officer operating from the UAE. The US authorities alleged he played a central role in recruiting and deploying former Colombian soldiers to Sudan. His wife, Claudia Viviana Oliveros Forero, was penalized as well.

Also on the penalty list was Mateo Duque Botero, a dual Colombian-Spanish citizen who officials alleged managed a business accused of processing money and salaries for the recruitment operation. "Over the past two years, American entities associated with Duque carried out multiple financial transactions, worth millions," the official announcement noted.

Citizen of Colombia Mónica Muñoz was the other individual to be sanctioned, with the entity she oversaw alleged to have financial transactions linked to Duque and his operations.

"The US once more urges outside forces to stop giving funding and arms to the warring parties," the Treasury announced.

Reaction

A senior analyst, from a conflict think tank, called the measures as a "highly important" development, saying that "calling out those who are doing the contracting is the proper strategy".

She added that, Bogotá has enacted a piece of legislation approving the global treaty against mercenarism, aiming to curb decades of Colombian involvement in international fights and reshape domestic defense strategy.

Another expert, a scholar on the subject, urged more caution, stating that "restrictions are needed but not enough for combating rampant mercenarism".

"It’s an illicit economy and based out of the Emirates, which is difficult to penalize," he stated. The UAE has been frequently alleged of providing arms to the militia, claims it rejects. "More contractors from Colombia are likely," the expert cautioned.