🔗 Share this article

The US government has imposed sanctions on a operation of four individuals and four companies accused of hiring Colombian mercenaries to support and educate a armed faction in Sudan which the US alleges of acts of genocide.

Operation Structure

Announcing the sanctions on this week, the Treasury stated the network was mostly comprised of Colombian citizens and firms.

Numerous of former Colombian military personnel have allegedly journeyed to the conflict in Sudan to fight alongside the Sudanese RSF militia, a faction accused of terrible atrocities such as massacres based on ethnicity and large-scale abductions.

Emergence of Involvement

The participation of ex-soldiers first came to light the previous year, after an inquiry which disclosed that more than 300 ex-military personnel had been recruited to engage in combat – an discovery that resulted in an unusual statement of regret from officials in Bogotá.

These South American veterans have long been considered as highly prized fighters in conflict zones due to their extensive battlefield experience gleaned from years of internal conflict, familiarity with Nato equipment, and superior tactical education.

Activities in Sudan

In the Sudanese theater, the contractors have been accused of teaching minors, provided drone warfare training, and fought directly on the frontlines. A mercenary was quoted as saying that instructing minors was "awful and crazy" but added that "unfortunately that’s how war is".

Sanctioned Individuals

Among those targeted was a retired Colombian officer, a individual with dual citizenship and ex-soldier operating from the United Arab Emirates. The US authorities said he had a pivotal function in recruiting and deploying mercenaries to Sudan. His spouse, Claudia Oliveros, was also sanctioned.

Also on the restricted list was Mateo Duque Botero, a individual with Colombian and Spanish citizenship who the Treasury stated managed a business implicated in handling funds and payroll for the network. "Recently, US-based firms associated with Duque engaged in multiple financial transactions, totalling millions of US dollars," the government release said.

Colombian national Mónica Muñoz was the other individual to be penalized, with the entity she oversaw said to have conducted financial transactions linked to Duque and his companies.

"The United States again calls on external actors to halt the flow of funding and arms to the combatants," the agency announced.

Analyst Commentary

An expert, with the International Crisis Group, labeled the actions as a "highly important" development, noting that "identifying the recruiters is the right way to go".

She added that, the Colombian government recently passed a statute approving the anti-mercenary convention, designed to limit years of participation by its nationals in foreign conflicts and transform its security approach.

A mercenary specialist, a authority on private military contractors, called for greater wariness, saying that "sanctions are necessary but insufficient for dealing with the growing mercenary trade".

"It operates in the black market and based out of the UAE, which is difficult to penalize," he commented. The UAE has been repeatedly implicated of supplying weapons to the paramilitary group, allegations it disputes. "Expect more Colombian mercenaries," McFate warned.