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The Washington has imposed sanctions on a group of several persons and entities charged of hiring Colombian mercenaries to combat alongside and instruct a armed faction in Sudan which the US alleges of acts of genocide.

Operation Structure

Announcing the measures on Tuesday, the American treasury stated the scheme was primarily made up of Colombian nationals and companies.

Hundreds of retired Colombian troops have reportedly travelled to the conflict in Sudan to fight alongside the Sudanese RSF militia, a group implicated in severe violations such as massacres based on ethnicity and mass abductions.

Discovery of Participation

The involvement of Colombian fighters initially emerged last year, following an investigation which disclosed that hundreds of former soldiers had been hired to fight – an event that led to an unprecedented apology from Colombia’s foreign ministry.

Former Colombian military have long been considered as among the world’s most sought-after mercenaries due to their vast combat experience gleaned from decades of civil war, knowledge of Western military gear, and superior tactical education.

Reported Actions

In Sudan, the Colombians have been accused of teaching child soldiers, provided drone warfare training, and fought directly on the frontlines. An individual involved previously stated that training children was "awful and crazy" but added that "unfortunately that’s how war is".

Sanctioned Individuals

Among those targeted was Álvaro Andrés Quijano Becerra, a dual Colombian-Italian national and retired Colombian military officer located in the Dubai. The US authorities alleged he played a key part in hiring and sending former Colombian soldiers to Sudan. His spouse, Claudia Oliveros, was also sanctioned.

Also on the sanctions list was Mateo Duque Botero, a individual with Colombian and Spanish citizenship who officials alleged ran a firm accused of handling funds and payroll for the recruitment operation. "Recently, US-based firms connected to Duque carried out multiple financial transactions, worth millions," the government release noted.

Citizen of Colombia Mónica Muñoz was the final person to be targeted, with the entity she oversaw said to have conducted wire transfers associated with Duque and his companies.

"The United States again calls on outside forces to stop giving funding and arms to the warring parties," the department said in a statement.

Expert Analysis

A senior analyst, senior analyst at the International Crisis Group, labeled the measures as a "very significant" step, saying 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 its citizens' long history in foreign conflicts and change national security policy.

Sean McFate, a authority on private military contractors, advised additional measures, stating that "restrictions are needed but not enough for dealing with widespread use of contractors".

"This is a shadow economy and based out of the Emirates, which is difficult to penalize," he stated. The United Arab Emirates has been frequently alleged of arming the RSF, claims it rejects. "More contractors from Colombia are likely," the expert cautioned.