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The US government has imposed sanctions on a group of four individuals and four companies alleged of hiring Colombian mercenaries to fight for and train a armed faction in Sudan that Washington accuses of committing genocide.

Group Makeup

Disclosing the restrictions on this week, the US Treasury Department stated the scheme was mostly comprised of individuals and businesses from Colombia.

Scores of former Colombian military personnel have allegedly journeyed to the Sudanese warzone to operate with the Sudanese RSF militia, a force accused of severe violations encompassing targeted ethnic killings and widespread kidnappings.

Discovery of Participation

The involvement of Colombian fighters initially emerged last year, prompted by an report which found that hundreds of retired troops had been contracted to engage in combat – an revelation that prompted an rare mea culpa from the Colombian government.

Former Colombian military have widely regarded as among the world’s most sought-after mercenaries due to their considerable warzone knowledge gleaned from a long-running domestic war, knowledge of advanced weaponry, and high-level combat training.

Role in the Conflict

In the Sudanese theater, the contractors have allegedly instructed underage fighters, instructed militiamen in drone operation, and participated in direct battles. An individual involved remarked that training children was "awful and crazy" but commented that "unfortunately that’s how war is".

Sanctioned Individuals

Among those sanctioned was Álvaro Andrés Quijano Becerra, a citizen of both Colombia and Italy and retired Colombian military officer based in the Dubai. The government said he had a key part in recruiting and deploying ex-military personnel to Sudan. His wife, Claudia Oliveros, was penalized as well.

Also on the penalty list was Mateo Duque Botero, a individual with Colombian and Spanish citizenship who officials alleged ran a firm implicated in handling funds and payroll for the recruitment operation. "Recently, companies in the United States connected to Duque carried out multiple financial transactions, amounting to millions," the government release said.

Citizen of Colombia Mónica Muñoz was the other individual to be targeted, with the company she managed said to have conducted financial transactions connected to Duque and his companies.

"The US once more urges foreign parties to cease providing financial and military support to the belligerents," the Treasury stated.

Reaction

Elizabeth Dickinson, senior analyst at the International Crisis Group, described the measures as a "very significant" milestone, saying that "identifying the recruiters is the right way to go".

It was also noted that, Bogotá has enacted a law ratifying the anti-mercenary convention, seeking to reduce years of participation by its nationals in foreign conflicts and reshape its security approach.

Another expert, an expert on mercenaries, urged more caution, noting that "restrictions are needed but not enough for dealing with the growing mercenary trade".

"It operates in the black market and based out of the Emirates, which is difficult to penalize," he commented. The UAE has been repeatedly implicated of arming the RSF, claims it rejects. "More contractors from Colombia are likely," McFate warned.