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The US government has levied restrictions on a network of several persons and entities alleged of recruiting South American contractors to fight for and train a militia force in Sudan which the US alleges of genocidal acts.

Group Makeup

Disclosing the sanctions on Tuesday, the US Treasury Department stated the operation was largely composed of Colombian nationals and companies.

Hundreds of retired Colombian troops have been recruited to go to the Sudanese warzone to combat beside the RSF paramilitary group, a faction accused of terrible atrocities including ethnically targeted slaughter and widespread kidnappings.

Emergence of Involvement

The role of these mercenaries initially emerged last year, after an inquiry which revealed that more than 300 retired troops had been recruited to participate in the war – an event that prompted an rare mea culpa from Colombia’s foreign ministry.

Former Colombian military have long been considered as highly prized fighters in conflict zones due to their extensive battlefield experience gleaned from a long-running domestic war, knowledge of advanced weaponry, and elite military instruction.

Reported Actions

In Sudan, the mercenaries have reportedly trained child soldiers, taught fighters to pilot drones, and engaged in frontline combat. A mercenary was quoted as saying that training children was "terrible and insane" but noted that "sadly, that is the nature of conflict".

Named Entities

Among those sanctioned was Álvaro Andrés Quijano Becerra, a individual with dual citizenship and retired Colombian military officer operating from the Dubai. The Treasury said he had a central role in hiring and sending former Colombian soldiers to Sudan. His spouse, Claudia Viviana Oliveros Forero, was penalized as well.

Also on the penalty list was Mateo Duque Botero, a individual with Colombian and Spanish citizenship who authorities say oversaw a company linked to managing finances and payments for the recruitment operation. "Over the past two years, American entities connected to Duque carried out numerous wire transfers, amounting to millions," the government release noted.

Individual Mónica Muñoz was the fourth individual to be penalized, with the firm she operated said to have conducted wire transfers linked to Duque and his businesses.

"The United States again calls on foreign parties to stop giving funding and arms to the belligerents," the department stated.

Reaction

A senior analyst, from a conflict think tank, called the measures as a "very significant" step, stating that "calling out those who are doing the contracting is the correct approach".

Furthermore, Bogotá has enacted a law ratifying the global treaty against mercenarism, designed to limit years of participation by its nationals in overseas wars and reshape national security policy.

Sean McFate, an expert on mercenaries, urged more caution, stating that "penalties are required yet incomplete for dealing with widespread use of contractors".

"It’s an illicit economy and based out of the Emirates, which is largely insulated from sanctions," he said. The United Arab Emirates has been repeatedly implicated of providing arms to the militia, an accusation it has denied. "This trend will probably continue," McFate warned.