🔗 Share this article

The United States has imposed sanctions on a network of several persons and entities alleged of enlisting South American contractors to fight for and train a armed faction in Sudan which the US alleges of committing genocide.

Group Makeup

Announcing the restrictions on this week, the American treasury stated the scheme was primarily made up of Colombian nationals and companies.

Numerous of retired Colombian troops have reportedly travelled to the conflict in Sudan to combat beside the RSF paramilitary group, a group linked to horrific war crimes such as targeted ethnic killings and large-scale abductions.

Revelation of Role

The participation of ex-soldiers first came to light last year, after an report which disclosed that more than 300 ex-military personnel had been contracted to engage in combat – an revelation that resulted in an rare mea culpa from officials in Bogotá.

Colombian ex-soldiers have widely regarded as some of the most in-demand contractors globally due to their considerable warzone knowledge resulting from years of internal conflict, knowledge of advanced weaponry, and elite military instruction.

Role in the Conflict

In the Sudanese theater, the mercenaries have reportedly trained minors, provided drone warfare training, and participated in direct battles. A mercenary previously stated that working with child soldiers was "horrific and irrational" but commented that "unfortunately that’s how war is".

Sanctioned Individuals

Among those penalized was Álvaro Andrés Quijano Becerra, a individual with dual citizenship and retired Colombian military officer operating from the UAE. The US authorities alleged he played a key part in recruiting and deploying ex-military personnel to Sudan. His wife, Claudia Viviana Oliveros Forero, was similarly targeted.

Also on the restricted list was Mateo Duque Botero, a individual with Colombian and Spanish citizenship who authorities say oversaw a company implicated in managing finances and payments for the scheme. "Over the past two years, US-based firms linked to Duque conducted numerous wire transfers, amounting to millions," the government release noted.

Individual Mónica Muñoz was the final person to be targeted, with the entity she oversaw said to have conducted money transfers connected to Duque and his operations.

"Washington reiterates its demand for foreign parties to halt the flow of funding and arms to the warring parties," the department said in a statement.

Analyst Commentary

An expert, from a conflict think tank, called the measures as a "highly important" step, stating that "targeting the enablers is the proper strategy".

Furthermore, Bogotá ratified a piece of legislation approving the global treaty against mercenarism, designed to limit its citizens' long history in international fights and transform its security approach.

Another expert, a scholar on the subject, called for greater wariness, noting that "penalties are required yet incomplete for combating the growing mercenary trade".

"It operates in the black market and based out of the UAE, which is difficult to penalize," he said. The United Arab Emirates has been repeatedly implicated of providing arms to the militia, claims it rejects. "Expect more Colombian mercenaries," he advised.