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The United States has enforced penalties on a network of four people and four firms charged of hiring former Colombian soldiers to fight for and train a militia force in Sudan the United States claims of genocidal acts.

Operation Structure

Disclosing the restrictions on Tuesday, the American treasury stated the network was largely composed of individuals and businesses from Colombia.

Numerous of former Colombian military personnel have allegedly journeyed to the Sudanese warzone to operate with the RSF paramilitary group, a group linked to terrible atrocities including ethnically targeted slaughter and mass abductions.

Revelation of Role

The role of these mercenaries first came to light the previous year, after an inquiry which disclosed that more than 300 ex-military personnel had been hired to engage in combat – an revelation that resulted in an rare mea culpa from the Colombian government.

Colombian ex-soldiers have long been considered as some of the most in-demand contractors globally due to their extensive battlefield experience gleaned from decades of civil war, knowledge of advanced weaponry, and superior tactical education.

Activities in Sudan

In the conflict, the Colombians have allegedly instructed minors, taught fighters to pilot drones, and engaged in frontline combat. A mercenary was quoted as saying that instructing minors was "horrific and irrational" but added that "unfortunately that’s how war is".

Sanctioned Individuals

Among those sanctioned was a dual national, a citizen of both Colombia and Italy and retired Colombian military officer located in the United Arab Emirates. The Treasury accused him a key part in enlisting and transporting ex-military personnel to Sudan. His wife, Claudia Viviana Oliveros Forero, was similarly targeted.

Also on the restricted list was Mateo Duque Botero, a dual national who officials alleged ran a firm accused of managing finances and payments for the scheme. "Recently, companies in the United States linked to Duque conducted several money transfers, amounting to millions," the official announcement noted.

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

"The US once more urges outside forces to halt the flow of funding and arms to the combatants," the agency said in a statement.

Reaction

Elizabeth Dickinson, senior analyst at the International Crisis Group, called the sanctions as a "highly important" step, saying that "targeting the enablers is the proper strategy".

She added that, Colombia has enacted a statute ratifying the global treaty against mercenarism, designed to limit years of participation by its nationals in overseas wars and change domestic defense strategy.

A mercenary specialist, a scholar on the subject, advised additional measures, stating that "sanctions are necessary but insufficient for dealing with rampant mercenarism".

"It operates in the black market and based out of the Emirates, which is largely insulated from sanctions," he commented. The United Arab Emirates has been repeatedly implicated of arming the RSF, an accusation it has denied. "This trend will probably continue," the expert cautioned.