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The Washington has imposed sanctions on a network of four people and four firms charged of enlisting Colombian mercenaries to combat alongside and instruct a armed faction in Sudan the United States claims of acts of genocide.

Group Makeup

Disclosing the restrictions on Tuesday, the American treasury stated the network was largely composed of Colombian nationals and companies.

Scores of former Colombian military personnel have been recruited to go to the conflict in Sudan to operate with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a faction implicated in terrible atrocities including massacres based on ethnicity and large-scale abductions.

Emergence of Involvement

The participation of ex-soldiers first came to light the previous year, prompted by an inquiry which revealed that over three hundred former soldiers had been contracted to participate in the war – an discovery that led to an unusual statement of regret from Colombia’s foreign ministry.

Colombian ex-soldiers have historically been seen as highly prized fighters in conflict zones due to their vast combat experience acquired during years of internal conflict, knowledge of advanced weaponry, and high-level combat training.

Role in the Conflict

In the Sudanese theater, the Colombians have allegedly instructed underage fighters, provided drone warfare training, and fought directly on the frontlines. An individual involved was quoted as saying that instructing minors was "terrible and insane" but noted that "sadly, that is the nature of conflict".

Targeted Persons

Among those penalized was Álvaro Andrés Quijano Becerra, a dual Colombian-Italian national and retired Colombian military officer operating from the United Arab Emirates. The US authorities accused him a central role in enlisting and transporting former Colombian soldiers to Sudan. His spouse, Claudia Oliveros, was similarly targeted.

Also on the penalty list was Mateo Duque Botero, a dual Colombian-Spanish citizen who the Treasury stated managed a business accused of handling funds and payroll for the recruitment operation. "Over the past two years, companies in the United States connected to Duque conducted several money transfers, worth millions," the government release noted.

Citizen of Colombia Mónica Muñoz was the final person to be sanctioned, with the entity she oversaw said to have conducted money transfers associated with Duque and his operations.

"Washington reiterates its demand for foreign parties to stop giving monetary and weaponry aid to the belligerents," the agency said in a statement.

Reaction

An expert, with the International Crisis Group, labeled the sanctions as a "major" milestone, stating that "calling out those who are doing the contracting is the proper strategy".

She added that, Bogotá ratified a piece of legislation ratifying the International Convention Against the Recruitment and Use of Mercenaries, aiming to curb years of participation by its nationals in foreign conflicts and reshape national security policy.

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

"It’s an illicit economy and operating from the Emirates, which is difficult to penalize," he commented. The United Arab Emirates has been widely accused of supplying weapons to the paramilitary group, allegations it disputes. "More contractors from Colombia are likely," the expert cautioned.