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The Washington has imposed sanctions on a network of four people and four firms charged of enlisting South American contractors to combat alongside and instruct a Sudanese paramilitary group which the US alleges of acts of genocide.

Network Composition

Disclosing the measures on Tuesday, the US Treasury Department stated the operation was mostly comprised of Colombian citizens and firms.

Scores of retired Colombian troops have been recruited to go to the Sudanese warzone to operate with the Sudanese RSF militia, a force accused of horrific war crimes encompassing targeted ethnic killings and mass abductions.

Emergence of Involvement

The involvement of Colombian fighters initially emerged last year, following an report which disclosed that hundreds of retired troops had been recruited to fight – an discovery that led to an rare mea culpa from Colombia’s foreign ministry.

These South American veterans have widely regarded as highly prized fighters in conflict zones due to their vast combat experience acquired during years of internal conflict, training on Nato equipment, and high-level combat training.

Reported Actions

In the conflict, the Colombians have allegedly instructed minors, taught fighters to pilot drones, and participated in direct battles. A mercenary previously stated that instructing minors was "terrible and insane" but noted that "unfortunately that’s how war is".

Sanctioned Individuals

Among those targeted was Álvaro Andrés Quijano Becerra, a dual Colombian-Italian national and ex-soldier based in the UAE. The US authorities alleged he played a key part in hiring and sending former Colombian soldiers to Sudan. His wife, Claudia Oliveros, was similarly targeted.

Also on the sanctions list was Mateo Andrés Duque Botero, a dual Colombian-Spanish citizen who the Treasury stated ran a firm implicated in processing money and salaries for the recruitment operation. "Recently, American entities connected to Duque engaged in several money transfers, totalling millions of US dollars," the official announcement stated.

Citizen of Colombia Mónica Muñoz was the fourth individual to be penalized, with the firm she operated 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 combatants," the Treasury announced.

Reaction

A senior analyst, with the International Crisis Group, described the sanctions as a "very significant" development, stating that "identifying the recruiters is the proper strategy".

She added that, Bogotá recently passed a law endorsing the anti-mercenary convention, aiming to curb decades of Colombian involvement in overseas wars and reshape national security policy.

A mercenary specialist, an expert on mercenaries, called for greater wariness, saying that "restrictions are needed but not enough for dealing with widespread use of contractors".

"This is a shadow economy and operating from the Emirates, which is difficult to penalize," he said. The Emirati government has been frequently alleged of arming the RSF, claims it rejects. "Expect more Colombian mercenaries," McFate warned.