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The US government has levied restrictions on a operation of four people and four firms alleged of hiring former Colombian soldiers to combat alongside and instruct a Sudanese paramilitary group that Washington accuses of acts of genocide.

Group Makeup

Disclosing the sanctions on Tuesday, the US Treasury Department stated the operation was mostly comprised of individuals and businesses from Colombia.

Numerous of retired Colombian troops have been recruited to go to Sudan to operate with the Sudanese RSF militia, a force accused of severe violations encompassing targeted ethnic killings and large-scale abductions.

Revelation of Role

The involvement of Colombian fighters first came to light the previous year, after an report which found that over three hundred retired troops had been recruited to engage in combat – an event that resulted in an unprecedented apology from the Colombian government.

Former Colombian military have long been considered as some of the most in-demand contractors globally due to their extensive battlefield experience resulting from a long-running domestic war, familiarity with advanced weaponry, and superior tactical education.

Role in the Conflict

In the conflict, the Colombians have reportedly trained child soldiers, provided drone warfare training, and engaged in frontline combat. A mercenary was quoted as saying that instructing minors was "awful and crazy" but added that "unfortunately that’s how war is".

Targeted Persons

Among those penalized was Álvaro Andrés Quijano Becerra, a individual with dual citizenship and ex-soldier based in the UAE. The US authorities said he had a pivotal function in recruiting and deploying former Colombian soldiers to Sudan. His spouse, Claudia Viviana Oliveros Forero, was similarly targeted.

Also on the penalty list was Mateo Andrés Duque Botero, a dual national who officials alleged managed a business implicated in managing finances and payments for the scheme. "Over the past two years, American entities linked to Duque engaged in numerous wire transfers, totalling millions of US dollars," the official announcement stated.

Colombian national Mónica Muñoz was the fourth individual to be targeted, with the company she managed alleged to have money transfers linked to Duque and his companies.

"Washington reiterates its demand for external actors to cease providing monetary and weaponry aid to the warring parties," the agency stated.

Expert Analysis

A senior analyst, with the International Crisis Group, described the measures as a "very significant" step, saying that "calling out those who are doing the contracting is the proper strategy".

Furthermore, Colombia has enacted a law ratifying the global treaty against mercenarism, seeking to reduce decades of Colombian involvement in foreign conflicts and reshape national security policy.

A mercenary specialist, a authority on private military contractors, called for greater wariness, noting that "sanctions are necessary but insufficient for addressing widespread use of contractors".

"It’s an illicit economy and centered in the Emirates, which is difficult to penalize," he commented. The Emirati government has been repeatedly implicated of supplying weapons to the paramilitary group, allegations it disputes. "Expect more Colombian mercenaries," the expert cautioned.