🔗 Share this article

The Washington has imposed sanctions on a network of four people and four firms alleged of hiring Colombian mercenaries to combat alongside and instruct a armed faction in Sudan which the US alleges of committing genocide.

Network Composition

Announcing the measures on this week, the US Treasury Department stated the operation was primarily made up of Colombian citizens and firms.

Hundreds of retired Colombian troops have been recruited to go to the Sudanese warzone to fight alongside the RSF paramilitary group, a group implicated in horrific war crimes including ethnically targeted slaughter and mass abductions.

Emergence of Involvement

The involvement of Colombian fighters initially emerged the previous year, prompted by an investigation which revealed that over three hundred retired troops had been recruited to participate in the war – an discovery that prompted an unusual statement of regret from officials in Bogotá.

These South American veterans have long been considered as highly prized fighters in conflict zones due to their vast combat experience resulting from decades of civil war, training on Western military gear, and elite military instruction.

Reported Actions

In Sudan, the contractors have been accused of teaching underage fighters, instructed militiamen in drone operation, and engaged in frontline combat. An individual involved was quoted as saying that training children was "horrific and irrational" but commented that "unfortunately that’s how war is".

Targeted Persons

Among those sanctioned was Álvaro Andrés Quijano Becerra, a citizen of both Colombia and Italy and former army officer operating from the UAE. The government said he had a pivotal function in hiring and sending former Colombian soldiers to Sudan. His spouse, Claudia Viviana Oliveros Forero, was penalized as well.

Also on the penalty list was Mateo Andrés Duque Botero, a individual with Colombian and Spanish citizenship who authorities say oversaw a company linked to managing finances and payments for the scheme. "Over the past two years, American entities linked to Duque carried out several money transfers, worth millions," the government release stated.

Colombian national Mónica Muñoz was the final person to be targeted, with the company she managed alleged to have financial transactions associated with Duque and his companies.

"The US once more urges outside forces to halt the flow of monetary and weaponry aid to the warring parties," the agency said in a statement.

Expert Analysis

Elizabeth Dickinson, senior analyst at the International Crisis Group, described the actions as a "highly important" milestone, saying that "calling out those who are doing the contracting is the proper strategy".

She added that, the Colombian government recently passed a law approving the International Convention Against the Recruitment and Use of Mercenaries, aiming to curb years of participation by its nationals in overseas wars and change its security approach.

Another expert, an expert on mercenaries, called for greater wariness, stating that "sanctions are necessary but insufficient for addressing rampant mercenarism".

"It’s an illicit economy and operating from the Emirates, which is relatively sanction-proof," he commented. The Emirati government has been frequently alleged of arming the RSF, allegations it disputes. "Expect more Colombian mercenaries," McFate warned.