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The United States has imposed sanctions on a network of four individuals and four companies charged of hiring Colombian mercenaries to combat alongside and instruct a armed faction in Sudan which the US alleges of acts of genocide.

Network Composition

Revealing the measures on Tuesday, the American treasury stated the scheme was primarily made up of Colombian citizens and firms.

Scores of retired Colombian troops have allegedly journeyed to the conflict in Sudan to fight alongside the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a force accused of terrible atrocities such as targeted ethnic killings and mass abductions.

Discovery of Participation

The role of these mercenaries was first uncovered last year, after an inquiry which disclosed that hundreds of retired troops had been contracted to fight – an discovery that led to an unprecedented apology from officials in Bogotá.

These South American veterans have long been considered as some of the most in-demand contractors globally due to their extensive battlefield experience gleaned from a long-running domestic war, knowledge of advanced weaponry, and high-level combat training.

Role in the Conflict

In Sudan, the Colombians have been accused of teaching underage fighters, instructed militiamen in drone operation, and engaged in frontline combat. One source was quoted as saying that working with child soldiers was "awful and crazy" but noted that "unfortunately that’s how war is".

Targeted Persons

Among those targeted was a retired Colombian officer, a dual Colombian-Italian national and former army officer based in the UAE. The US authorities accused him a key part in hiring and sending ex-military personnel to Sudan. His spouse, Claudia Viviana Oliveros Forero, was also sanctioned.

Also on the restricted list was Mateo Duque Botero, a dual national who authorities say oversaw a company linked to managing finances and payments for the recruitment operation. "Over the past two years, American entities associated with Duque engaged in several money transfers, totalling millions of US dollars," the Treasury statement stated.

Individual Mónica Muñoz was the final person to be sanctioned, with the entity she oversaw accused of wire transfers associated with Duque and his operations.

"The US once more urges foreign parties to stop giving funding and arms to the combatants," the Treasury stated.

Reaction

Elizabeth Dickinson, from a conflict think tank, called the actions as a "highly important" milestone, saying that "calling out those who are doing the contracting is the right way to go".

She added that, Colombia recently passed a statute endorsing the global treaty against mercenarism, aiming to curb years of participation by its nationals in foreign conflicts and reshape its security approach.

Another expert, a authority on private military contractors, urged more caution, saying that "penalties are required yet incomplete for dealing with widespread use of contractors".

"It operates in the black market and operating from the Emirates, which is relatively sanction-proof," he said. The UAE has been repeatedly implicated of supplying weapons to the paramilitary group, an accusation it has denied. "Expect more Colombian mercenaries," the expert cautioned.