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The United States has enforced penalties on a operation of several persons and entities alleged of hiring former Colombian soldiers to combat alongside and instruct a Sudanese paramilitary group which the US alleges of acts of genocide.

Operation Structure

Disclosing the sanctions on Tuesday, the US Treasury Department stated the operation was primarily made up of individuals and businesses from Colombia.

Hundreds of ex-soldiers from Colombia have reportedly travelled to the conflict in Sudan to operate with the RSF paramilitary group, a force linked to terrible atrocities including massacres based on ethnicity and widespread kidnappings.

Emergence of Involvement

The involvement of Colombian fighters first came to light last year, after an report which found that more than 300 retired troops had been hired to participate in the war – an revelation that led to an rare mea culpa from Colombia’s foreign ministry.

Colombian ex-soldiers have historically been seen as some of the most in-demand contractors globally due to their vast combat experience acquired during a long-running domestic war, familiarity with Western military gear, and superior tactical education.

Reported Actions

In Sudan, the Colombians have allegedly instructed child soldiers, taught fighters to pilot drones, and fought directly on the frontlines. A mercenary was quoted as saying that training children was "horrific and irrational" but commented that "regrettably, war operates that way".

Named Entities

Among those targeted was a dual national, a citizen of both Colombia and Italy and former army officer located in the United Arab Emirates. The US authorities alleged he played a central role in recruiting and deploying former Colombian soldiers to Sudan. His wife, Claudia Viviana Oliveros Forero, was also sanctioned.

Also on the restricted list was Mateo Duque Botero, a dual Colombian-Spanish citizen who the Treasury stated oversaw a company linked to processing money and salaries for the network. "Over the past two years, American entities connected to Duque carried out numerous wire transfers, worth millions," the official announcement said.

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

"Washington reiterates its demand for external actors to stop giving monetary and weaponry aid to the belligerents," the department said in a statement.

Expert Analysis

A senior analyst, with the International Crisis Group, labeled the actions as a "major" development, saying that "targeting the enablers is the proper strategy".

Furthermore, Bogotá ratified a law ratifying the global treaty against mercenarism, seeking to reduce years of participation by its nationals in foreign conflicts and reshape domestic defense strategy.

Sean McFate, a scholar on the subject, called for greater wariness, stating that "sanctions are necessary but insufficient for dealing with the growing mercenary trade".

"It’s an illicit economy and based out of the UAE, which is relatively sanction-proof," he commented. The UAE has been repeatedly implicated of providing arms to the militia, claims it rejects. "This trend will probably continue," McFate warned.