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The Washington has imposed sanctions on a network of several persons and entities charged of recruiting Colombian mercenaries to fight for and train a armed faction in Sudan that Washington accuses of genocidal acts.

Operation Structure

Disclosing the sanctions on Tuesday, the Treasury stated the operation was mostly comprised of Colombian nationals and companies.

Numerous of ex-soldiers from Colombia have reportedly travelled to the Sudanese warzone to fight alongside the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a force implicated in horrific war crimes such as targeted ethnic killings and widespread kidnappings.

Emergence of Involvement

The involvement of Colombian fighters first came to light the previous year, after an inquiry which revealed that more than 300 retired troops had been recruited to fight – an revelation that prompted an rare mea culpa from Colombia’s foreign ministry.

Colombian ex-soldiers have widely regarded as some of the most in-demand contractors globally due to their extensive battlefield experience resulting from decades of civil war, training on Nato equipment, and high-level combat training.

Activities in Sudan

In the conflict, the Colombians have been accused of teaching child soldiers, provided drone warfare training, and participated in direct battles. A mercenary previously stated that working with child soldiers 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 former army officer operating from the United Arab Emirates. The US authorities accused him a key part in hiring and sending former Colombian soldiers to Sudan. His spouse, Claudia Viviana Oliveros Forero, was also sanctioned.

Also on the sanctions list was Duque Botero, a dual national who the Treasury stated managed a business linked to processing money and salaries for the network. "Over the past two years, American entities connected to Duque conducted numerous wire transfers, totalling millions of US dollars," the Treasury statement stated.

Citizen of Colombia Mónica Muñoz was the final person to be sanctioned, with the firm she operated alleged to have financial transactions associated with Duque and his operations.

"The United States again calls on foreign parties to halt the flow of funding and arms to the warring parties," the agency said in a statement.

Reaction

Elizabeth Dickinson, senior analyst at the International Crisis Group, labeled the measures as a "very significant" step, saying that "identifying the recruiters is the proper strategy".

It was also noted that, the Colombian government ratified a statute ratifying the anti-mercenary convention, designed to limit its citizens' long history in international fights and transform its security approach.

Another expert, an expert on mercenaries, called for greater wariness, stating that "restrictions are needed but not enough for dealing with rampant mercenarism".

"It’s an illicit economy and operating from the Emirates, which is difficult to penalize," he said. The United Arab Emirates has been frequently alleged of supplying weapons to the paramilitary group, allegations it disputes. "This trend will probably continue," the expert cautioned.