🔗 Share this article

The Washington has enforced penalties on a group of four individuals and four companies charged of enlisting South American contractors to fight for and train a militia force in Sudan which the US alleges of genocidal acts.

Group Makeup

Revealing the sanctions on this week, the Treasury stated the network was primarily made up of Colombian nationals and companies.

Scores of retired Colombian troops have been recruited to go to the Sudanese warzone to fight alongside the RSF paramilitary group, a group linked to severe violations including ethnically targeted slaughter and large-scale abductions.

Discovery of Participation

The participation of ex-soldiers was first uncovered the previous year, prompted by an report which disclosed that more than 300 ex-military personnel had been hired to engage in combat – an revelation that prompted an unusual statement of regret from officials in Bogotá.

These South American veterans have historically been seen as some of the most in-demand contractors globally due to their considerable warzone knowledge gleaned from a long-running domestic war, familiarity with Nato equipment, and superior tactical education.

Activities in Sudan

In Sudan, the contractors have allegedly instructed underage fighters, taught fighters to pilot drones, and engaged in frontline combat. A mercenary remarked that working with child soldiers was "horrific and irrational" but added that "unfortunately that’s how war is".

Targeted Persons

Among those penalized was Álvaro Andrés Quijano Becerra, a dual Colombian-Italian national and retired Colombian military officer operating from the Dubai. The US authorities accused him a pivotal function in hiring and sending ex-military personnel to Sudan. His wife, Claudia Viviana Oliveros Forero, was penalized as well.

Also on the sanctions list was Mateo Andrés Duque Botero, a dual national who authorities say oversaw a company accused of handling funds and payroll for the scheme. "Recently, American entities linked to Duque engaged in several money transfers, totalling millions of US dollars," the official announcement stated.

Colombian national Mónica Muñoz was the final person to be penalized, with the firm she operated accused of financial transactions associated with Duque and his businesses.

"The United States again calls on outside forces to stop giving monetary and weaponry aid to the belligerents," the department stated.

Analyst Commentary

An expert, from a conflict think tank, labeled the measures as a "very significant" development, noting that "targeting the enablers is the correct approach".

It was also noted that, Bogotá has enacted a piece of legislation endorsing the global treaty against mercenarism, aiming to curb its citizens' long history in overseas wars and reshape domestic defense strategy.

A mercenary specialist, an expert on mercenaries, called for greater wariness, saying that "penalties are required yet incomplete for addressing the growing mercenary trade".

"It operates in the black market and based out of Dubai, which is difficult to penalize," he stated. The Emirati government has been widely accused of arming the RSF, an accusation it has denied. "More contractors from Colombia are likely," he advised.