Washington Levies Restrictions on Group Alleged of Recruiting South American Fighters to Sudan.

The US government has imposed sanctions on a group of several persons and entities charged of hiring Colombian mercenaries to support and educate a Sudanese paramilitary group that Washington accuses of acts of genocide.

Network Composition

Disclosing the measures on this week, the Treasury stated the network was mostly comprised of individuals and businesses from Colombia.

Hundreds of ex-soldiers from Colombia have been recruited to go to the Sudanese warzone to combat beside the Sudanese RSF militia, a group implicated in terrible atrocities including massacres based on ethnicity and mass abductions.

Emergence of Involvement

The involvement of Colombian fighters first came to light the previous year, following an investigation which disclosed that more than 300 retired troops had been hired to fight – an event that resulted in an unprecedented apology from the Colombian government.

Former Colombian military have widely regarded as some of the most in-demand contractors globally due to their vast combat experience resulting from a long-running domestic war, training on Nato equipment, and superior tactical education.

Reported Actions

In Sudan, the Colombians have reportedly trained underage fighters, provided drone warfare training, and engaged in frontline combat. A mercenary previously stated that training children was "terrible and insane" but commented that "sadly, that is the nature of conflict".

Targeted Persons

Among those sanctioned was a dual national, a citizen of both Colombia and Italy and retired Colombian military officer based in the United Arab Emirates. The government alleged he played a central role in recruiting and deploying ex-military personnel to Sudan. His spouse, Claudia Oliveros, was also sanctioned.

Also on the sanctions list was Mateo Andrés Duque Botero, a individual with Colombian and Spanish citizenship who authorities say oversaw a company implicated in processing money and salaries for the scheme. "Recently, US-based firms connected to Duque conducted multiple financial transactions, amounting to millions," the official announcement stated.

Colombian national Mónica Muñoz was the fourth individual to be penalized, with the firm she operated alleged to have money transfers linked to Duque and his operations.

"The US once more urges external actors to stop giving funding and arms to the combatants," the department stated.

Expert Analysis

An expert, with the International Crisis Group, described the sanctions as a "major" step, stating that "targeting the enablers is the correct approach".

It was also noted that, Colombia has enacted a piece of legislation approving the International Convention Against the Recruitment and Use of Mercenaries, aiming to curb decades of Colombian involvement in international fights and change national security policy.

Sean McFate, a scholar on the subject, urged more caution, stating that "restrictions are needed but not enough for dealing with rampant mercenarism".

"It operates in the black market and based out of the Emirates, which is largely insulated from sanctions," he stated. The Emirati government has been frequently alleged of arming the RSF, claims it rejects. "Expect more Colombian mercenaries," he advised.