🔗 Share this article

The Washington has imposed sanctions on a operation of four individuals and four companies alleged of enlisting South American contractors to fight for and train a armed faction in Sudan that Washington accuses of genocidal acts.

Group Makeup

Disclosing the measures on Tuesday, the Treasury stated the scheme was mostly comprised of Colombian citizens and firms.

Hundreds of ex-soldiers from Colombia have reportedly travelled to the Sudanese warzone to combat beside the Sudanese RSF militia, a force linked to severe violations such as massacres based on ethnicity and large-scale abductions.

Emergence of Involvement

The participation of ex-soldiers first came to light last year, prompted by an report which revealed that hundreds of ex-military personnel had been contracted to fight – an revelation that led to an unprecedented apology from the Colombian government.

Former Colombian military have long been considered as some of the most in-demand contractors globally due to their considerable warzone knowledge acquired during years of internal conflict, training on Western military gear, and elite military instruction.

Activities in Sudan

In the conflict, the contractors have been accused of teaching child soldiers, instructed militiamen in drone operation, and fought directly on the frontlines. One source was quoted as saying that working with child soldiers was "terrible and insane" but noted that "unfortunately that’s how war is".

Named Entities

Among those sanctioned was a retired Colombian officer, a citizen of both Colombia and Italy and retired Colombian military officer based in the UAE. The government alleged he played a central role in hiring and sending ex-military personnel to Sudan. His wife, Claudia Viviana Oliveros Forero, was penalized as well.

Also on the restricted list was Duque Botero, a dual national who authorities say managed a business linked to handling funds and payroll for the network. "Over the past two years, US-based firms connected to Duque carried out multiple financial transactions, totalling millions of US dollars," the Treasury statement stated.

Individual Mónica Muñoz was the final person to be targeted, with the firm she operated said to have conducted financial transactions linked to Duque and his companies.

"The United States again calls on external actors to stop giving monetary and weaponry aid to the belligerents," the department said in a statement.

Analyst Commentary

Elizabeth Dickinson, with the International Crisis Group, called the measures as a "very significant" development, saying that "calling out those who are doing the contracting is the correct approach".

It was also noted that, Colombia ratified a law endorsing the International Convention Against the Recruitment and Use of Mercenaries, designed to limit its citizens' long history in international fights and transform domestic defense strategy.

A mercenary specialist, a scholar on the subject, called for greater wariness, stating that "restrictions are needed but not enough for dealing with the growing mercenary trade".

"It’s an illicit economy and based out of the Emirates, which is largely insulated from sanctions," he commented. The Emirati government has been repeatedly implicated of supplying weapons to the paramilitary group, claims it rejects. "This trend will probably continue," the expert cautioned.