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The US government has imposed sanctions on a network of four people and four firms alleged of recruiting former Colombian soldiers to support and educate a armed faction in Sudan which the US alleges of acts of genocide.

Group Makeup

Announcing the sanctions on Tuesday, the US Treasury Department stated the scheme was mostly comprised of Colombian citizens and firms.

Numerous of retired Colombian troops have allegedly journeyed to Sudan to fight alongside the Sudanese RSF militia, a faction linked to terrible atrocities including targeted ethnic killings and large-scale abductions.

Discovery of Participation

The participation of ex-soldiers was first uncovered the previous year, after an investigation which disclosed that hundreds of ex-military personnel had been contracted to engage in combat – an discovery that prompted an rare mea culpa from officials in Bogotá.

These South American veterans have long been considered as among the world’s most sought-after mercenaries due to their vast combat experience acquired during a long-running domestic war, familiarity with Western military gear, and high-level combat training.

Activities in Sudan

In Sudan, the Colombians have reportedly trained child soldiers, taught fighters to pilot drones, and fought directly on the frontlines. A mercenary remarked that working with child soldiers was "horrific and irrational" but added that "unfortunately that’s how war is".

Sanctioned Individuals

Among those penalized was Álvaro Andrés Quijano Becerra, a individual with dual citizenship and former army officer based in the UAE. The government said he had a key part in enlisting and transporting former Colombian soldiers to Sudan. His wife, Claudia Viviana Oliveros Forero, was also sanctioned.

Also on the restricted list was Duque Botero, a individual with Colombian and Spanish citizenship who authorities say ran a firm accused of handling funds and payroll for the network. "Over the past two years, companies in the United States connected to Duque conducted several money transfers, amounting to millions," the government release said.

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

"Washington reiterates its demand for foreign parties to cease providing funding and arms to the combatants," the department announced.

Reaction

An expert, senior analyst at the International Crisis Group, called the measures as a "very significant" step, saying that "identifying the recruiters is the right way to go".

It was also noted that, Colombia has enacted a statute ratifying the anti-mercenary convention, aiming to curb decades of Colombian involvement in foreign conflicts and reshape domestic defense strategy.

Sean McFate, a authority on private military contractors, advised additional measures, noting that "penalties are required yet incomplete for addressing the growing mercenary trade".

"It’s an illicit economy and operating from the Emirates, which is relatively sanction-proof," he commented. The UAE has been repeatedly implicated of providing arms to the militia, allegations it disputes. "Expect more Colombian mercenaries," McFate warned.