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The US government has imposed sanctions on a network of four individuals and four companies charged of enlisting South American contractors to combat alongside and instruct a militia force in Sudan that Washington accuses of committing genocide.

Operation Structure

Revealing the measures on this week, the US Treasury Department stated the scheme was mostly comprised of Colombian citizens and firms.

Scores of retired Colombian troops have been recruited to go to the Sudanese warzone to operate with the RSF paramilitary group, a force linked to severe violations including targeted ethnic killings and large-scale abductions.

Discovery of Participation

The role of these mercenaries initially emerged the previous year, after an report which found that more than 300 ex-military personnel had been hired to engage in combat – an discovery that led to an unusual statement of regret from officials in Bogotá.

Colombian ex-soldiers have historically been seen as among the world’s most sought-after mercenaries due to their extensive battlefield experience resulting from decades of civil war, training on Nato equipment, and superior tactical education.

Role in the Conflict

In Sudan, the mercenaries have reportedly trained minors, taught fighters to pilot drones, and fought directly on the frontlines. A mercenary was quoted as saying that training children was "terrible and insane" but added that "unfortunately that’s how war is".

Sanctioned Individuals

Among those penalized was Álvaro Andrés Quijano Becerra, a individual with dual citizenship and retired Colombian military officer located in the Dubai. The US authorities alleged he played a key part in hiring and sending former Colombian soldiers to Sudan. His spouse, Claudia Viviana Oliveros Forero, was also sanctioned.

Also on the sanctions list was Duque Botero, a individual with Colombian and Spanish citizenship who officials alleged managed a business accused of managing finances and payments for the network. "Over the past two years, American entities linked to Duque conducted several money transfers, totalling millions of US dollars," the government release 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 businesses.

"The United States again calls on external actors to stop giving financial and military support to the warring parties," the Treasury stated.

Expert Analysis

Elizabeth Dickinson, senior analyst at the International Crisis Group, called the sanctions as a "very significant" milestone, stating that "identifying the recruiters is the right way to go".

It was also noted that, the Colombian government ratified a piece of legislation approving the global treaty against mercenarism, seeking to reduce its citizens' long history in foreign conflicts and change domestic defense strategy.

Another expert, a authority on private military contractors, called for greater wariness, noting that "sanctions are necessary but insufficient for combating the growing mercenary trade".

"It’s an illicit economy and based out of the Emirates, which is largely insulated from sanctions," he said. The UAE has been frequently alleged of arming the RSF, allegations it disputes. "This trend will probably continue," he advised.