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The United States has imposed sanctions on a operation of several persons and entities alleged of hiring South American contractors to combat alongside and instruct a Sudanese paramilitary group which the US alleges of genocidal acts.

Group Makeup

Announcing the sanctions on this week, the Treasury stated the operation was mostly comprised of Colombian nationals and companies.

Numerous of ex-soldiers from Colombia have allegedly journeyed to the Sudanese warzone to combat beside the Sudanese RSF militia, a group accused of terrible atrocities including massacres based on ethnicity and mass abductions.

Discovery of Participation

The role of these mercenaries was first uncovered last year, following an inquiry which disclosed that hundreds of former soldiers had been contracted to participate in the war – an revelation that resulted in an unusual statement of regret from the Colombian government.

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

Activities in Sudan

In the conflict, the mercenaries have allegedly instructed underage fighters, instructed militiamen in drone operation, and engaged in frontline combat. An individual involved was quoted as saying that training children was "awful and crazy" but added that "unfortunately that’s how war is".

Sanctioned Individuals

Among those penalized was a dual national, a individual with dual citizenship and ex-soldier located in the Dubai. The government accused him a pivotal function in recruiting and deploying mercenaries to Sudan. His spouse, Claudia Viviana Oliveros Forero, was penalized as well.

Also on the restricted list was Mateo Andrés Duque Botero, a dual Colombian-Spanish citizen who the Treasury stated managed a business linked to managing finances and payments for the scheme. "Recently, companies in the United States associated with Duque engaged in several money transfers, amounting to millions," the Treasury statement stated.

Citizen of Colombia Mónica Muñoz Ucros was the other individual to be sanctioned, with the firm she operated accused of money transfers linked to Duque and his operations.

"Washington reiterates its demand for external actors to cease providing monetary and weaponry aid to the belligerents," the department stated.

Reaction

An expert, from a conflict think tank, labeled the actions as a "major" step, noting that "targeting the enablers is the proper strategy".

It was also noted that, Bogotá has enacted a statute endorsing the global treaty against mercenarism, designed to limit decades of Colombian involvement in overseas wars and change national security policy.

Another expert, an expert on mercenaries, called for greater wariness, stating that "restrictions are needed but not enough for addressing the growing mercenary trade".

"This is a shadow economy and based out of the UAE, which is largely insulated from sanctions," he said. The Emirati government has been widely accused of providing arms to the militia, claims it rejects. "Expect more Colombian mercenaries," the expert cautioned.