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The Washington has imposed sanctions on a group of four individuals and four companies charged of hiring Colombian mercenaries to support and educate a militia force in Sudan that Washington accuses of acts of genocide.

Operation Structure

Revealing the measures on Tuesday, the Treasury stated the scheme was mostly comprised of Colombian nationals and companies.

Scores of ex-soldiers from Colombia have reportedly travelled to the conflict in Sudan to operate with the Sudanese RSF militia, a faction linked to horrific war crimes including targeted ethnic killings and mass abductions.

Revelation of Role

The involvement of Colombian fighters was first uncovered the previous year, following an investigation which disclosed that over three hundred ex-military personnel had been recruited to fight – an event that led to an rare mea culpa from Colombia’s foreign ministry.

Former Colombian military have long been considered as highly prized fighters in conflict zones due to their considerable warzone knowledge acquired during years of internal conflict, knowledge of advanced weaponry, and elite military instruction.

Activities in Sudan

In Sudan, the Colombians have reportedly trained child soldiers, taught fighters to pilot drones, and fought directly on the frontlines. An individual involved previously stated that training children was "awful and crazy" but added that "regrettably, war operates that way".

Sanctioned Individuals

Among those sanctioned was a retired Colombian officer, a individual with dual citizenship and ex-soldier operating from the UAE. The US authorities accused him a pivotal function in enlisting and transporting former Colombian soldiers to Sudan. His wife, Claudia Oliveros, was similarly targeted.

Also on the sanctions list was Mateo Duque Botero, a dual Colombian-Spanish citizen who authorities say managed a business implicated in processing money and salaries for the network. "Over the past two years, American entities connected to Duque engaged in several money transfers, amounting to millions," the official announcement said.

Citizen of Colombia Mónica Muñoz was the fourth individual to be penalized, with the entity she oversaw accused of wire transfers associated with Duque and his businesses.

"Washington reiterates its demand for external actors to halt the flow of funding and arms to the warring parties," the agency stated.

Reaction

A senior analyst, with the International Crisis Group, described the actions as a "highly important" development, noting that "targeting the enablers is the correct approach".

Furthermore, Colombia ratified a piece of legislation ratifying the International Convention Against the Recruitment and Use of Mercenaries, seeking to reduce its citizens' long history in international fights and reshape its security approach.

A mercenary specialist, a authority on private military contractors, urged more caution, noting that "sanctions are necessary but insufficient for dealing with the growing mercenary trade".

"This is a shadow economy and based out of the Emirates, which is largely insulated from sanctions," he stated. The United Arab Emirates has been repeatedly implicated of arming the RSF, an accusation it has denied. "Expect more Colombian mercenaries," the expert cautioned.