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The Washington has imposed sanctions on a group of several persons and entities charged of enlisting Colombian mercenaries to combat alongside and instruct a militia force in Sudan that Washington accuses of committing genocide.

Network Composition

Revealing the restrictions on Tuesday, the Treasury stated the operation was largely composed of Colombian citizens and firms.

Hundreds of retired Colombian troops have allegedly journeyed to the conflict in Sudan to fight alongside the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a group linked to horrific war crimes including targeted ethnic killings and large-scale abductions.

Emergence of Involvement

The involvement of Colombian fighters first came to light the previous year, following an investigation which found that over three hundred ex-military personnel had been recruited to participate in the war – an event that resulted in an unprecedented apology from Colombia’s foreign ministry.

Colombian ex-soldiers have widely regarded as some of the most in-demand contractors globally due to their considerable warzone knowledge acquired during years of internal conflict, knowledge of Western military gear, and high-level combat training.

Reported Actions

In Sudan, the mercenaries have allegedly instructed minors, provided drone warfare training, and participated in direct battles. A mercenary was quoted as saying that working with child soldiers was "awful and crazy" but noted that "regrettably, war operates that way".

Targeted Persons

Among those targeted was Álvaro Andrés Quijano Becerra, a citizen of both Colombia and Italy and former army officer based in the United Arab Emirates. The government said he had a pivotal function in recruiting and deploying former Colombian soldiers to Sudan. His wife, Claudia Oliveros, was similarly targeted.

Also on the penalty list was Duque Botero, a dual Colombian-Spanish citizen who the Treasury stated managed a business accused of handling funds and payroll for the recruitment operation. "Recently, American entities associated with Duque conducted several money transfers, amounting to millions," the official announcement said.

Individual Mónica Muñoz was the final person to be penalized, with the firm she operated accused of money transfers associated with Duque and his businesses.

"The US once more urges external actors to cease providing funding and arms to the belligerents," the Treasury said in a statement.

Expert Analysis

An expert, senior analyst at the International Crisis Group, called the measures as a "highly important" milestone, noting that "targeting the enablers is the correct approach".

She added that, the Colombian government ratified a law ratifying the International Convention Against the Recruitment and Use of Mercenaries, seeking to reduce decades of Colombian involvement in overseas wars and change national security policy.

A mercenary specialist, an expert on mercenaries, called for greater wariness, saying that "restrictions are needed but not enough for addressing rampant mercenarism".

"It operates in the black market and operating from Dubai, which is difficult to penalize," he said. The United Arab Emirates has been repeatedly implicated of supplying weapons to the paramilitary group, an accusation it has denied. "More contractors from Colombia are likely," he advised.