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The United States has levied restrictions on a network of several persons and entities accused of enlisting former Colombian soldiers to support and educate a armed faction in Sudan that Washington accuses of genocidal acts.

Operation Structure

Disclosing the measures on this week, the Treasury stated the operation was mostly comprised of individuals and businesses from Colombia.

Hundreds of former Colombian military personnel have been recruited to go to the conflict in Sudan to combat beside the Sudanese RSF militia, a force implicated in severe violations including targeted ethnic killings and large-scale abductions.

Revelation of Role

The involvement of Colombian fighters was first uncovered the previous year, following an inquiry which found that hundreds of retired troops had been hired to engage in combat – an event that led to an rare mea culpa from officials in Bogotá.

Colombian ex-soldiers have long been considered 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 high-level combat training.

Role in the Conflict

In the conflict, the contractors have allegedly instructed child soldiers, provided drone warfare training, and engaged in frontline combat. A mercenary remarked that instructing minors was "awful and crazy" but commented that "sadly, that is the nature of conflict".

Targeted Persons

Among those targeted was Álvaro Andrés Quijano Becerra, a individual with dual citizenship and former army officer based in the Dubai. The government accused him a pivotal function in enlisting and transporting former Colombian soldiers to Sudan. His wife, Claudia Oliveros, was penalized as well.

Also on the penalty list was Mateo Andrés Duque Botero, a dual Colombian-Spanish citizen who officials alleged oversaw a company accused of processing money and salaries for the scheme. "Over the past two years, US-based firms connected to Duque conducted several money transfers, worth millions," the official announcement stated.

Citizen of Colombia Mónica Muñoz was the fourth individual to be sanctioned, with the firm she operated alleged to have money transfers associated with Duque and his operations.

"The United States again calls on outside forces to stop giving monetary and weaponry aid to the warring parties," the department said in a statement.

Reaction

An expert, from a conflict think tank, called the sanctions as a "very significant" milestone, stating that "targeting the enablers is the proper strategy".

It was also noted that, the Colombian government recently passed a statute endorsing the International Convention Against the Recruitment and Use of Mercenaries, designed to limit years of participation by its nationals in international fights and reshape its security approach.

Sean McFate, a scholar on the subject, urged more caution, noting that "restrictions are needed but not enough for dealing with widespread use of contractors".

"It’s an illicit economy and based out of the UAE, which is largely insulated from sanctions," he said. The Emirati government has been repeatedly implicated of arming the RSF, an accusation it has denied. "Expect more Colombian mercenaries," he advised.