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The Washington has levied restrictions on a operation of four individuals and four companies alleged of recruiting Colombian mercenaries to fight for and train a militia force in Sudan which the US alleges of acts of genocide.

Group Makeup

Announcing the measures on Tuesday, the US Treasury Department stated the operation was primarily made up of individuals and businesses from Colombia.

Hundreds of retired Colombian troops have reportedly travelled to the conflict in Sudan to operate with the Sudanese RSF militia, a group linked to horrific war crimes encompassing targeted ethnic killings and mass abductions.

Discovery of Participation

The participation of ex-soldiers first came to light the previous year, prompted by an report which disclosed that over three hundred retired troops had been contracted to participate in the war – an discovery that resulted in an rare mea culpa from officials in Bogotá.

These South American veterans have historically been seen as among the world’s most sought-after mercenaries due to their considerable warzone knowledge gleaned from decades of civil war, familiarity with Western military gear, and high-level combat training.

Activities in Sudan

In the conflict, the mercenaries have been accused of teaching underage fighters, taught fighters to pilot drones, and participated in direct battles. One source previously stated that training children was "horrific and irrational" but added that "sadly, that is the nature of conflict".

Sanctioned Individuals

Among those sanctioned was a retired Colombian officer, a individual with dual citizenship and ex-soldier based in the UAE. The US authorities alleged he played a central role in enlisting and transporting former Colombian soldiers to Sudan. His wife, Claudia Viviana Oliveros Forero, was also sanctioned.

Also on the penalty list was Mateo Duque Botero, a dual Colombian-Spanish citizen who the Treasury stated oversaw a company linked to managing finances and payments for the scheme. "Recently, American entities connected to Duque engaged in several money transfers, totalling millions of US dollars," the official announcement noted.

Colombian national Mónica Muñoz was the other individual to be targeted, with the firm she operated said to have conducted wire transfers linked to Duque and his businesses.

"Washington reiterates its demand for external actors to halt the flow of monetary and weaponry aid to the warring parties," the department announced.

Reaction

A senior analyst, from a conflict think tank, called the sanctions as a "major" development, stating that "calling out those who are doing the contracting is the correct approach".

She added that, Colombia ratified a law ratifying the International Convention Against the Recruitment and Use of Mercenaries, aiming to curb years of participation by its nationals in overseas wars and transform national security policy.

A mercenary specialist, a authority on private military contractors, called for greater wariness, stating that "sanctions are necessary but insufficient for combating rampant mercenarism".

"It operates in the black market and based out of Dubai, which is difficult to penalize," he said. The Emirati government has been frequently alleged of supplying weapons to the paramilitary group, an accusation it has denied. "More contractors from Colombia are likely," the expert cautioned.