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The United States has imposed sanctions on a group of several persons and entities alleged of hiring South American contractors to combat alongside and instruct a armed faction in Sudan that Washington accuses of acts of genocide.

Network Composition

Revealing the measures on this week, the American treasury stated the operation was primarily made up of Colombian citizens and firms.

Scores of former Colombian military personnel have been recruited to go to the conflict in Sudan to operate with the Sudanese RSF militia, a force linked to terrible atrocities such as massacres based on ethnicity and mass abductions.

Emergence of Involvement

The involvement of Colombian fighters first came to light the previous year, after an report which revealed that hundreds of former soldiers had been contracted to fight – an event that led to an unusual statement of regret from the Colombian government.

Colombian ex-soldiers have long been considered as highly prized fighters in conflict zones due to their extensive battlefield experience acquired during a long-running domestic war, knowledge of advanced weaponry, and elite military instruction.

Reported Actions

In the conflict, the contractors have been accused of teaching child soldiers, taught fighters to pilot drones, and participated in direct battles. A mercenary previously stated that training children was "terrible and insane" but commented that "regrettably, war operates that way".

Sanctioned Individuals

Among those sanctioned was Álvaro Andrés Quijano Becerra, a individual with dual citizenship and retired Colombian military officer based in the UAE. The Treasury said he had a pivotal function in recruiting and deploying former Colombian soldiers to Sudan. His wife, Claudia Viviana Oliveros Forero, was also sanctioned.

Also on the penalty list was Mateo Andrés Duque Botero, a dual Colombian-Spanish citizen who authorities say ran a firm implicated in managing finances and payments for the scheme. "Over the past two years, American entities linked to Duque engaged in numerous wire transfers, amounting to millions," the Treasury statement noted.

Individual Mónica Muñoz Ucros was the other individual to be penalized, with the entity she oversaw alleged to have money transfers associated with Duque and his companies.

"The United States again calls on external actors to halt the flow of financial and military support to the combatants," the agency announced.

Analyst Commentary

An expert, from a conflict think tank, called the sanctions as a "highly important" milestone, noting that "targeting the enablers is the proper strategy".

She added that, Bogotá ratified a piece of legislation endorsing the International Convention Against the Recruitment and Use of Mercenaries, designed to limit years of participation by its nationals in overseas wars and change domestic defense strategy.

Another expert, a scholar on the subject, advised additional measures, noting that "restrictions are needed but not enough for dealing with widespread use of contractors".

"This is a shadow economy and based out of Dubai, which is relatively sanction-proof," he commented. The United Arab Emirates has been widely accused of arming the RSF, allegations it disputes. "This trend will probably continue," he advised.