🔗 Share this article

The Washington has enforced penalties on a group of several persons and entities charged of enlisting former Colombian soldiers to support and educate a armed faction in Sudan that Washington accuses of committing genocide.

Network Composition

Disclosing the restrictions on Tuesday, the Treasury stated the scheme was primarily made up of Colombian nationals and companies.

Hundreds of ex-soldiers from Colombia have reportedly travelled to the Sudanese warzone to combat beside the Sudanese RSF militia, a group linked to severe violations encompassing massacres based on ethnicity and large-scale abductions.

Revelation of Role

The role of these mercenaries was first uncovered last year, prompted by an inquiry which found that more than 300 former soldiers had been hired to participate in the war – an discovery that prompted an rare mea culpa from the Colombian government.

Colombian ex-soldiers have historically been seen as some of the most in-demand contractors globally due to their considerable warzone knowledge resulting from a long-running domestic war, knowledge of advanced weaponry, and elite military instruction.

Reported Actions

In the Sudanese theater, the Colombians have allegedly instructed child soldiers, provided drone warfare training, and participated in direct battles. A mercenary remarked that instructing minors was "terrible and insane" but commented that "sadly, that is the nature of conflict".

Named Entities

Among those targeted was Álvaro Andrés Quijano Becerra, a individual with dual citizenship and retired Colombian military officer operating from the Dubai. The Treasury alleged he played a key part in hiring and sending mercenaries to Sudan. His spouse, Claudia Viviana Oliveros Forero, was similarly targeted.

Also on the restricted list was Mateo Andrés Duque Botero, a individual with Colombian and Spanish citizenship who the Treasury stated ran a firm implicated in handling funds and payroll for the scheme. "Over the past two years, American entities associated with Duque conducted several money transfers, worth millions," the official announcement said.

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

"The United States again calls on external actors to stop giving funding and arms to the warring parties," the Treasury said in a statement.

Reaction

A senior analyst, from a conflict think tank, labeled the sanctions as a "highly important" step, stating that "identifying the recruiters is the right way to go".

Furthermore, the Colombian government has enacted a law approving the anti-mercenary convention, seeking to reduce decades of Colombian involvement in overseas wars and reshape national security policy.

Another expert, a authority on private military contractors, advised additional measures, stating that "sanctions are necessary but insufficient for addressing the growing mercenary trade".

"This is a shadow economy and operating from the Emirates, which is largely insulated from sanctions," he stated. The UAE has been repeatedly implicated of providing arms to the militia, an accusation it has denied. "This trend will probably continue," he advised.