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The United States has imposed sanctions on a group of several persons and entities charged of recruiting former Colombian soldiers to fight for and train a Sudanese paramilitary group that Washington accuses of acts of genocide.

Network Composition

Revealing the restrictions on Tuesday, the US Treasury Department stated the scheme was primarily made up of Colombian citizens and firms.

Scores of former Colombian military personnel have reportedly travelled to the conflict in Sudan to operate with the RSF paramilitary group, a faction accused of terrible atrocities such as massacres based on ethnicity and widespread kidnappings.

Revelation of Role

The involvement of Colombian fighters initially emerged last year, after an inquiry which found that over three hundred former soldiers had been recruited to participate in the war – an revelation that resulted in an rare mea culpa from the Colombian government.

Former Colombian military have historically been seen as some of the most in-demand contractors globally due to their extensive battlefield experience resulting from years of internal conflict, training on Nato equipment, and high-level combat training.

Role in the Conflict

In the conflict, the Colombians have been accused of teaching child soldiers, taught fighters to pilot drones, and engaged in frontline combat. One source remarked that training children was "horrific and irrational" but added that "sadly, that is the nature of conflict".

Sanctioned Individuals

Among those targeted was Álvaro Andrés Quijano Becerra, a citizen of both Colombia and Italy and ex-soldier operating from the UAE. The US authorities alleged he played a pivotal function in hiring and sending ex-military personnel to Sudan. His spouse, Claudia Oliveros, was penalized as well.

Also on the restricted list was Mateo Duque Botero, a individual with Colombian and Spanish citizenship who authorities say ran a firm accused of processing money and salaries for the scheme. "Over the past two years, US-based firms connected to Duque conducted multiple financial transactions, totalling millions of US dollars," the official announcement stated.

Colombian national Mónica Muñoz was the final person to be targeted, with the company she managed alleged to have wire transfers associated with Duque and his companies.

"The United States again calls on outside forces to halt the flow of financial and military support to the belligerents," the department announced.

Analyst Commentary

An expert, from a conflict think tank, described the measures as a "major" step, noting that "targeting the enablers is the proper strategy".

It was also noted that, Colombia ratified a statute ratifying the global treaty against mercenarism, seeking to reduce its citizens' long history in overseas wars and reshape its security approach.

Sean McFate, an expert on mercenaries, urged more caution, stating that "restrictions are needed but not enough for dealing with widespread use of contractors".

"This is a shadow economy and based out of the UAE, which is relatively sanction-proof," he commented. The UAE has been frequently alleged of arming the RSF, an accusation it has denied. "Expect more Colombian mercenaries," the expert cautioned.