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The United States has levied restrictions on a group of several persons and entities alleged of hiring South American contractors to fight for and train a armed faction in Sudan that Washington accuses of genocidal acts.

Operation Structure

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

Numerous of ex-soldiers from Colombia have been recruited to go to Sudan to fight alongside the RSF paramilitary group, a force linked to severe violations such as massacres based on ethnicity and large-scale abductions.

Emergence of Involvement

The role of these mercenaries was first uncovered in 2024, prompted by an report which revealed that more than 300 former soldiers had been contracted to engage in combat – an discovery that prompted an rare mea culpa from officials in Bogotá.

Colombian ex-soldiers have long been considered as highly prized fighters in conflict zones due to their extensive battlefield experience resulting from years of internal conflict, knowledge of advanced weaponry, and high-level combat training.

Activities in Sudan

In the conflict, the mercenaries have been accused of teaching underage fighters, taught fighters to pilot drones, and participated in direct battles. An individual involved was quoted as saying that training children was "terrible and insane" but added that "unfortunately that’s how war is".

Named Entities

Among those penalized was a dual national, a citizen of both Colombia and Italy and former army officer located in the Dubai. The Treasury alleged he played a key part in hiring and sending ex-military personnel to Sudan. His spouse, Claudia Viviana Oliveros Forero, was penalized as well.

Also on the sanctions list was Duque Botero, a dual Colombian-Spanish citizen who authorities say managed a business linked to processing money and salaries for the recruitment operation. "Recently, American entities associated with Duque engaged in several money transfers, totalling millions of US dollars," the official announcement stated.

Colombian national Mónica Muñoz was the fourth individual to be penalized, with the entity she oversaw said to have conducted wire transfers linked to Duque and his businesses.

"Washington reiterates its demand for external actors to stop giving financial and military support to the warring parties," the Treasury said in a statement.

Expert Analysis

Elizabeth Dickinson, from a conflict think tank, called the actions as a "highly important" milestone, saying that "targeting the enablers is the proper strategy".

It was also noted that, Colombia ratified a statute ratifying the International Convention Against the Recruitment and Use of Mercenaries, seeking to reduce its citizens' long history in overseas wars and transform its security approach.

Sean McFate, an expert on mercenaries, called for greater wariness, noting that "sanctions are necessary but insufficient for dealing with rampant mercenarism".

"It’s an illicit economy and centered in the Emirates, which is difficult to penalize," he commented. The UAE has been repeatedly implicated of providing arms to the militia, allegations it disputes. "Expect more Colombian mercenaries," McFate warned.