🔗 Share this article

The Washington has levied restrictions on a network of four individuals and four companies alleged of recruiting South American contractors to fight for and train a Sudanese paramilitary group the United States claims of committing genocide.

Network Composition

Announcing the restrictions on this week, the Treasury stated the scheme was mostly comprised of Colombian nationals and companies.

Hundreds of ex-soldiers from Colombia have allegedly journeyed to the Sudanese warzone to combat beside the Sudanese RSF militia, a group implicated in severe violations encompassing massacres based on ethnicity and widespread kidnappings.

Emergence of Involvement

The role of these mercenaries was first uncovered last year, after an report which found that hundreds of former soldiers had been hired to participate in the war – an revelation that prompted an unusual statement of regret from the Colombian government.

Colombian ex-soldiers have historically been seen as among the world’s most sought-after mercenaries due to their vast combat experience gleaned from decades of civil war, training on Nato equipment, and elite military instruction.

Activities in Sudan

In the Sudanese theater, the mercenaries have allegedly instructed child soldiers, taught fighters to pilot drones, and fought directly on the frontlines. An individual involved previously stated that instructing minors was "horrific and irrational" but noted that "unfortunately that’s how war is".

Named Entities

Among those penalized was a dual national, a individual with dual citizenship and ex-soldier based in the UAE. The Treasury said he had a central role in enlisting and transporting ex-military personnel to Sudan. His spouse, Claudia Viviana Oliveros Forero, was also sanctioned.

Also on the restricted list was Mateo Andrés Duque Botero, a individual with Colombian and Spanish citizenship who the Treasury stated oversaw a company accused of processing money and salaries for the recruitment operation. "Over the past two years, companies in the United States connected to Duque engaged in several money transfers, totalling millions of US dollars," the official announcement noted.

Individual Mónica Muñoz was the final person to be sanctioned, with the entity she oversaw alleged to have money transfers linked to Duque and his companies.

"Washington reiterates its demand for external actors to cease providing financial and military support to the warring parties," the agency said in a statement.

Analyst Commentary

Elizabeth Dickinson, senior analyst at the International Crisis Group, described the sanctions as a "very significant" milestone, stating that "targeting the enablers is the proper strategy".

It was also noted that, Bogotá ratified a statute ratifying the anti-mercenary convention, aiming to curb its citizens' long history in international fights and change its security approach.

Another expert, a authority on private military contractors, advised additional measures, noting that "sanctions are necessary but insufficient for addressing rampant mercenarism".

"It operates in the black market and operating from the UAE, which is difficult to penalize," he said. The UAE has been frequently alleged of supplying weapons to the paramilitary group, an accusation it has denied. "Expect more Colombian mercenaries," McFate warned.