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The US government has imposed sanctions on a group of several persons and entities charged of enlisting South American contractors to combat alongside and instruct a Sudanese paramilitary group which the US alleges of acts of genocide.

Operation Structure

Announcing the restrictions on Tuesday, the American treasury stated the network was largely composed of individuals and businesses from Colombia.

Hundreds of retired Colombian troops have been recruited to go to the Sudanese warzone to operate with the Sudanese RSF militia, a group accused of terrible atrocities including targeted ethnic killings and large-scale abductions.

Discovery of Participation

The role of these mercenaries first came to light last year, prompted by an investigation which found that more than 300 former soldiers had been recruited to engage in combat – an discovery that led to an unprecedented apology from the Colombian government.

These South American veterans have long been considered as some of the most in-demand contractors globally due to their extensive battlefield experience resulting from years of internal conflict, knowledge of advanced weaponry, and high-level combat training.

Activities in Sudan

In the Sudanese theater, the Colombians have been accused of teaching minors, provided drone warfare training, and fought directly on the frontlines. An individual involved remarked that training children was "horrific and irrational" but commented that "unfortunately that’s how war is".

Targeted Persons

Among those targeted was Álvaro Andrés Quijano Becerra, a dual Colombian-Italian national and former army officer located in the United Arab Emirates. The government accused him a key part in recruiting and deploying ex-military personnel to Sudan. His wife, Claudia Viviana Oliveros Forero, was also sanctioned.

Also on the penalty list was Mateo Andrés Duque Botero, a dual national who authorities say oversaw a company implicated in processing money and salaries for the recruitment operation. "Recently, American entities linked to Duque conducted numerous wire transfers, amounting to millions," the government release noted.

Citizen of Colombia Mónica Muñoz was the other individual to be targeted, with the entity she oversaw alleged to have money transfers associated with Duque and his operations.

"The United States again calls on outside forces to stop giving financial and military support to the belligerents," the agency announced.

Expert Analysis

A senior analyst, with the International Crisis Group, labeled the actions as a "highly important" development, noting that "calling out those who are doing the contracting is the correct approach".

Furthermore, Bogotá has enacted a piece of legislation ratifying the International Convention Against the Recruitment and Use of Mercenaries, seeking to reduce decades of Colombian involvement in overseas wars and change its security approach.

A mercenary specialist, a scholar on the subject, called for greater wariness, noting that "penalties are required yet incomplete for addressing widespread use of contractors".

"This is a shadow economy and based out of the UAE, which is difficult to penalize," he said. The United Arab Emirates has been repeatedly implicated of arming the RSF, an accusation it has denied. "More contractors from Colombia are likely," the expert cautioned.