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The Washington has levied restrictions on a operation of four individuals and four companies charged of enlisting former Colombian soldiers to fight for and train a militia force in Sudan that Washington accuses of genocidal acts.

Operation Structure

Announcing the restrictions on Tuesday, the Treasury stated the network was mostly comprised of individuals and businesses from Colombia.

Scores of ex-soldiers from Colombia have been recruited to go to the Sudanese warzone to operate with the RSF paramilitary group, a faction implicated in severe violations such as targeted ethnic killings and mass abductions.

Discovery of Participation

The participation of ex-soldiers was first uncovered the previous year, following an report which revealed that more than 300 ex-military personnel had been contracted to engage in combat – an discovery that prompted an unprecedented apology from Colombia’s foreign ministry.

Colombian ex-soldiers have historically been seen as among the world’s most sought-after mercenaries due to their extensive battlefield experience resulting from decades of civil war, knowledge of Western military gear, and high-level combat training.

Role in the Conflict

In Sudan, the mercenaries have allegedly instructed minors, instructed militiamen in drone operation, and engaged in frontline combat. A mercenary remarked that instructing minors was "awful and crazy" but noted that "regrettably, war operates that way".

Targeted Persons

Among those sanctioned was Álvaro Andrés Quijano Becerra, a dual Colombian-Italian national and former army officer based in the Dubai. The government said he had a central role in recruiting and deploying ex-military personnel to Sudan. His spouse, Claudia Viviana Oliveros Forero, was penalized as well.

Also on the penalty list was Mateo Duque Botero, a dual Colombian-Spanish citizen who the Treasury stated ran a firm accused of handling funds and payroll for the recruitment operation. "Recently, American entities linked to Duque carried out numerous wire transfers, worth millions," the Treasury statement said.

Citizen of Colombia Mónica Muñoz was the other individual to be targeted, with the entity she oversaw accused of financial transactions linked to Duque and his companies.

"Washington reiterates its demand for outside forces to stop giving financial and military support to the warring parties," the department stated.

Reaction

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

She added that, Colombia recently passed a law approving the global treaty against mercenarism, designed to limit decades of Colombian involvement in international fights and transform national security policy.

A mercenary specialist, a authority on private military contractors, called for greater wariness, noting that "sanctions are necessary but insufficient for combating rampant mercenarism".

"This is a shadow economy and centered in Dubai, which is difficult to penalize," he stated. The Emirati government has been widely accused of arming the RSF, an accusation it has denied. "More contractors from Colombia are likely," the expert cautioned.