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The Washington has imposed sanctions on a network of four people and four firms alleged of enlisting Colombian mercenaries to fight for and train a armed faction in Sudan which the US alleges of acts of genocide.

Network Composition

Revealing the sanctions on this week, the US Treasury Department stated the scheme was mostly comprised of Colombian nationals and companies.

Numerous of ex-soldiers from Colombia have been recruited to go to Sudan to operate with the RSF paramilitary group, a force implicated in severe violations such as ethnically targeted slaughter and large-scale abductions.

Emergence of Involvement

The participation of ex-soldiers was first uncovered last year, prompted by an report which disclosed that hundreds of former soldiers had been contracted to participate in the war – an revelation that resulted in an unprecedented apology from Colombia’s foreign ministry.

Former Colombian military have long been considered as highly prized fighters in conflict zones due to their extensive battlefield experience acquired during decades of civil war, knowledge of Nato equipment, and superior tactical education.

Role in the Conflict

In Sudan, the Colombians have allegedly instructed minors, taught fighters to pilot drones, and engaged in frontline combat. One source was quoted as saying that instructing minors was "horrific and irrational" but noted that "unfortunately that’s how war is".

Sanctioned Individuals

Among those targeted was a retired Colombian officer, a individual with dual citizenship and former army officer operating from the Dubai. The US authorities accused him a pivotal function in hiring and sending ex-military personnel to Sudan. His wife, Claudia Viviana Oliveros Forero, was similarly targeted.

Also on the sanctions list was Mateo Duque Botero, a dual Colombian-Spanish citizen who the Treasury stated oversaw a company linked to managing finances and payments for the scheme. "Over the past two years, companies in the United States linked to Duque carried out multiple financial transactions, totalling millions of US dollars," the Treasury statement stated.

Citizen of Colombia Mónica Muñoz Ucros was the other individual to be sanctioned, with the company she managed alleged to have financial transactions connected to Duque and his operations.

"The US once more urges outside forces to stop giving funding and arms to the warring parties," the agency announced.

Expert Analysis

An expert, from a conflict think tank, described the actions as a "very significant" development, noting that "identifying the recruiters is the proper strategy".

She added that, Bogotá recently passed a piece of legislation approving the anti-mercenary convention, aiming to curb decades of Colombian involvement in overseas wars and reshape its security approach.

A mercenary specialist, a scholar on the subject, called for greater wariness, noting that "restrictions are needed but not enough for addressing the growing mercenary trade".

"It operates in the black market and based out of Dubai, which is difficult to penalize," he said. The Emirati government has been repeatedly implicated of supplying weapons to the paramilitary group, an accusation it has denied. "This trend will probably continue," he advised.