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The United States has imposed sanctions on a operation of four individuals and four companies charged of recruiting Colombian mercenaries to combat alongside and instruct a armed faction in Sudan which the US alleges of genocidal acts.

Operation Structure

Announcing the sanctions on Tuesday, the Treasury stated the operation was primarily made up of individuals and businesses from Colombia.

Numerous of former Colombian military personnel have allegedly journeyed to the Sudanese warzone to combat beside the RSF paramilitary group, a faction accused of horrific war crimes such as targeted ethnic killings and large-scale abductions.

Revelation of Role

The participation of ex-soldiers first came to light the previous year, following an investigation which found that more than 300 ex-military personnel had been hired to engage in combat – an discovery that resulted in an unprecedented apology from Colombia’s foreign ministry.

Colombian ex-soldiers have long been considered as among the world’s most sought-after mercenaries due to their considerable warzone knowledge acquired during a long-running domestic war, familiarity with Nato equipment, and high-level combat training.

Reported Actions

In Sudan, the mercenaries have reportedly trained child soldiers, taught fighters to pilot drones, and fought directly on the frontlines. A mercenary remarked that training children was "awful and crazy" but commented that "unfortunately that’s how war is".

Named Entities

Among those sanctioned was a retired Colombian officer, a dual Colombian-Italian national and former army officer based in the United Arab Emirates. The government said he had a pivotal function in enlisting and transporting 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 authorities say ran a firm implicated in handling funds and payroll for the recruitment operation. "Over the past two years, American entities linked to Duque carried out multiple financial transactions, totalling millions of US dollars," the government release noted.

Colombian national Mónica Muñoz Ucros was the other individual to be penalized, with the entity she oversaw accused of financial transactions connected to Duque and his businesses.

"The US once more urges external actors to halt the flow of monetary and weaponry aid to the combatants," the agency announced.

Reaction

A senior analyst, with the International Crisis Group, described the sanctions as a "highly important" development, noting that "identifying the recruiters is the right way to go".

Furthermore, Bogotá recently passed a law ratifying the International Convention Against the Recruitment and Use of Mercenaries, designed to limit its citizens' long history in foreign conflicts and transform national security policy.

Another expert, a scholar on the subject, called for greater wariness, stating that "penalties are required yet incomplete for combating rampant mercenarism".

"This is a shadow economy and operating from the UAE, which is difficult to penalize," he stated. The Emirati government has been frequently alleged of arming the RSF, allegations it disputes. "Expect more Colombian mercenaries," he advised.