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The US government has enforced penalties on a operation of several persons and entities charged of recruiting South American contractors to combat alongside and instruct a armed faction in Sudan that Washington accuses of genocidal acts.

Group Makeup

Revealing the measures on Tuesday, the US Treasury Department stated the scheme was primarily made up of Colombian nationals and companies.

Hundreds of retired Colombian troops have allegedly journeyed to the Sudanese warzone to combat beside the Sudanese RSF militia, a force implicated in terrible atrocities including ethnically targeted slaughter and large-scale abductions.

Revelation of Role

The involvement of Colombian fighters initially emerged in 2024, after an inquiry which found that more than 300 former soldiers had been contracted to engage in combat – an revelation that led to an unprecedented apology from officials in Bogotá.

Colombian ex-soldiers have long been considered as among the world’s most sought-after mercenaries due to their extensive battlefield experience acquired during years of internal conflict, knowledge of Nato equipment, and high-level combat training.

Activities in Sudan

In the conflict, the Colombians have allegedly instructed child soldiers, instructed militiamen in drone operation, and participated in direct battles. An individual involved was quoted as saying that training children was "horrific and irrational" but added that "sadly, that is the nature of conflict".

Targeted Persons

Among those sanctioned was Álvaro Andrés Quijano Becerra, a citizen of both Colombia and Italy and ex-soldier operating from the United Arab Emirates. The Treasury alleged he played a central role in hiring and sending mercenaries to Sudan. His wife, Claudia Oliveros, was penalized as well.

Also on the sanctions list was Mateo Andrés Duque Botero, a individual with Colombian and Spanish citizenship who officials alleged managed a business linked to processing money and salaries for the recruitment operation. "Over the past two years, US-based firms linked to Duque conducted several money transfers, worth millions," the official announcement stated.

Citizen of Colombia Mónica Muñoz Ucros was the other individual to be penalized, with the firm she operated said to have conducted money transfers linked to Duque and his companies.

"The US once more urges external actors to halt the flow of monetary and weaponry aid to the combatants," the agency stated.

Expert Analysis

Elizabeth Dickinson, from a conflict think tank, called the measures as a "major" step, noting that "identifying the recruiters is the right way to go".

Furthermore, Colombia ratified a piece of legislation endorsing the anti-mercenary convention, aiming to curb its citizens' long history in foreign conflicts and change national security policy.

A mercenary specialist, a authority on private military contractors, urged more caution, noting that "sanctions are necessary but insufficient for dealing with rampant mercenarism".

"It’s an illicit economy and centered in Dubai, which is largely insulated from sanctions," he stated. The UAE has been repeatedly implicated of supplying weapons to the paramilitary group, an accusation it has denied. "More contractors from Colombia are likely," the expert cautioned.