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The United States has imposed sanctions on a group of several persons and entities accused of recruiting Colombian mercenaries to fight for and train a Sudanese paramilitary group which the US alleges of genocidal acts.

Network Composition

Revealing the restrictions on Tuesday, the US Treasury Department stated the operation was largely composed of individuals and businesses from Colombia.

Scores of ex-soldiers from Colombia have reportedly travelled to the Sudanese warzone to operate with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a faction implicated in severe violations including ethnically targeted slaughter and widespread kidnappings.

Discovery of Participation

The role of these mercenaries was first uncovered last year, following an inquiry which found that over three hundred ex-military personnel had been contracted to engage in combat – an discovery that prompted an rare mea culpa from Colombia’s foreign ministry.

These South American veterans have long been considered as highly prized fighters in conflict zones due to their extensive battlefield experience resulting from years of internal conflict, familiarity with Western military gear, and high-level combat training.

Activities in Sudan

In Sudan, the contractors have been accused of teaching minors, provided drone warfare training, and participated in direct battles. One source remarked that working with child soldiers was "awful and crazy" but commented that "unfortunately that’s how war is".

Targeted Persons

Among those penalized was a dual national, a citizen of both Colombia and Italy and ex-soldier located in the Dubai. The Treasury said he had a pivotal function in enlisting and transporting former Colombian soldiers to Sudan. His wife, Claudia Oliveros, was also sanctioned.

Also on the sanctions list was Mateo Duque Botero, a dual Colombian-Spanish citizen who officials alleged ran a firm implicated in handling funds and payroll for the scheme. "Recently, American entities linked to Duque carried out numerous wire transfers, totalling millions of US dollars," the government release said.

Citizen of Colombia Mónica Muñoz Ucros was the fourth individual to be targeted, with the entity she oversaw said to have conducted wire transfers linked to Duque and his operations.

"The US once more urges external actors to cease providing funding and arms to the warring parties," the agency said in a statement.

Reaction

Elizabeth Dickinson, with the International Crisis Group, described the actions as a "highly important" development, stating that "identifying the recruiters is the right way to go".

Furthermore, the Colombian government has enacted a statute endorsing the International Convention Against the Recruitment and Use of Mercenaries, designed to limit its citizens' long history in international fights and transform its security approach.

Another expert, a scholar on the subject, called for greater wariness, stating that "restrictions are needed but not enough for combating widespread use of contractors".

"This is a shadow economy and centered in the UAE, which is largely insulated from sanctions," he commented. The United Arab Emirates has been widely accused of supplying weapons to the paramilitary group, an accusation it has denied. "Expect more Colombian mercenaries," he advised.