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The US government has enforced penalties on a operation of four people and four firms alleged of hiring former Colombian soldiers to fight for and train a armed faction in Sudan which the US alleges of committing genocide.

Operation Structure

Announcing the sanctions on Tuesday, the US Treasury Department stated the scheme was mostly comprised of Colombian citizens and firms.

Scores of former Colombian military personnel have allegedly journeyed to the conflict in Sudan to combat beside the RSF paramilitary group, a group accused of severe violations such as massacres based on ethnicity and mass abductions.

Discovery of Participation

The role of these mercenaries first came to light last year, following an inquiry which revealed that over three hundred ex-military personnel had been contracted to participate in the war – an event that resulted in an unusual statement of regret from the Colombian government.

Former Colombian military 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, familiarity with Nato equipment, and superior tactical education.

Activities in Sudan

In the Sudanese theater, the Colombians have been accused of teaching minors, provided drone warfare training, and fought directly on the frontlines. A mercenary remarked that instructing minors was "terrible and insane" but noted that "unfortunately that’s how war is".

Targeted Persons

Among those sanctioned was a retired Colombian officer, a individual with dual citizenship and retired Colombian military officer based in the United Arab Emirates. The government alleged he played a central role in recruiting and deploying ex-military personnel to Sudan. His spouse, Claudia Oliveros, was also sanctioned.

Also on the penalty list was Mateo Duque Botero, a individual with Colombian and Spanish citizenship who the Treasury stated ran a firm accused of managing finances and payments for the network. "Over the past two years, companies in the United States connected to Duque engaged in several money transfers, totalling millions of US dollars," the Treasury statement said.

Citizen of Colombia Mónica Muñoz Ucros was the fourth individual to be penalized, with the entity she oversaw said to have conducted money transfers connected to Duque and his businesses.

"The US once more urges foreign parties to halt the flow of monetary and weaponry aid to the warring parties," the Treasury said in a statement.

Expert Analysis

Elizabeth Dickinson, senior analyst at the International Crisis Group, labeled the measures as a "major" development, noting that "identifying the recruiters is the proper strategy".

It was also noted that, Bogotá recently passed a law endorsing the International Convention Against the Recruitment and Use of Mercenaries, aiming to curb decades of Colombian involvement in international fights and change domestic defense strategy.

Another expert, a scholar on the subject, advised additional measures, saying that "penalties are required yet incomplete for dealing with rampant mercenarism".

"It operates in the black market and based out of the Emirates, which is difficult to penalize," he stated. The UAE has been repeatedly implicated of arming the RSF, claims it rejects. "This trend will probably continue," he advised.