🔗 Share this article

The Washington has enforced penalties on a operation of four individuals and four companies alleged of enlisting Colombian mercenaries to combat alongside and instruct a Sudanese paramilitary group the United States claims of acts of genocide.

Group Makeup

Announcing the sanctions on Tuesday, the American treasury stated the scheme was mostly comprised of individuals and businesses from Colombia.

Hundreds of ex-soldiers from Colombia have allegedly journeyed to the Sudanese warzone to operate with the Sudanese RSF militia, a force accused of severe violations such as targeted ethnic killings and mass abductions.

Emergence of Involvement

The involvement of Colombian fighters initially emerged the previous year, after an report which found that more than 300 retired troops had been contracted to fight – an discovery that resulted in an unusual statement of regret from officials in Bogotá.

These South American veterans have long been considered as some of the most in-demand contractors globally due to their vast combat experience acquired during decades of civil war, training on advanced weaponry, and high-level combat training.

Activities in Sudan

In the Sudanese theater, the mercenaries have been accused of teaching child soldiers, provided drone warfare training, and fought directly on the frontlines. One source previously stated that training children was "awful and crazy" but noted that "unfortunately that’s how war is".

Named Entities

Among those targeted was a retired Colombian officer, a citizen of both Colombia and Italy and former army officer operating from the Dubai. The government said he had a pivotal function in recruiting and deploying ex-military personnel to Sudan. His wife, Claudia Oliveros, was penalized as well.

Also on the sanctions list was Mateo Duque Botero, a individual with Colombian and Spanish citizenship who officials alleged managed a business implicated in processing money and salaries for the network. "Over the past two years, companies in the United States associated with Duque carried out several money transfers, worth millions," the government release said.

Colombian national Mónica Muñoz was the final person to be targeted, with the entity she oversaw said to have conducted money transfers linked to Duque and his companies.

"The United States again calls on foreign parties to cease providing funding and arms to the belligerents," the agency announced.

Expert Analysis

Elizabeth Dickinson, with the International Crisis Group, labeled the measures as a "highly important" milestone, noting that "identifying the recruiters is the proper strategy".

She added that, Bogotá has enacted a law ratifying the International Convention Against the Recruitment and Use of Mercenaries, designed to limit its citizens' long history in international fights and reshape national security policy.

Another expert, an expert on mercenaries, called for greater wariness, noting that "penalties are required yet incomplete for dealing with rampant mercenarism".

"This is a shadow economy and centered in the UAE, which is largely insulated from sanctions," he commented. The Emirati government has been widely accused of providing arms to the militia, allegations it disputes. "Expect more Colombian mercenaries," the expert cautioned.