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The US government has imposed sanctions on a network of several persons and entities charged of enlisting South American contractors to fight for and train a Sudanese paramilitary group that Washington accuses of acts of genocide.

Operation Structure

Revealing the measures on this week, the US Treasury Department stated the scheme was largely composed of individuals and businesses from Colombia.

Scores of former Colombian military personnel have reportedly travelled to Sudan to fight alongside the RSF paramilitary group, a faction linked to severe violations including ethnically targeted slaughter and large-scale abductions.

Discovery of Participation

The involvement of Colombian fighters first came to light last year, following an investigation which disclosed that more than 300 former soldiers had been hired to engage in combat – an discovery that prompted an rare mea culpa from officials in Bogotá.

Colombian ex-soldiers have historically been seen as some of the most in-demand contractors globally due to their vast combat experience gleaned from years of internal conflict, knowledge of Nato equipment, and superior tactical education.

Role in the Conflict

In Sudan, the Colombians have allegedly instructed underage fighters, taught fighters to pilot drones, and fought directly on the frontlines. One source previously stated that training children was "awful and crazy" but commented that "unfortunately that’s how war is".

Targeted Persons

Among those sanctioned was a dual national, a dual Colombian-Italian national and former army officer located in the United Arab Emirates. The US authorities alleged he played a pivotal function in enlisting and transporting ex-military personnel to Sudan. His spouse, Claudia Viviana Oliveros Forero, was also sanctioned.

Also on the restricted list was Mateo Andrés Duque Botero, a individual with Colombian and Spanish citizenship who the Treasury stated oversaw a company linked to managing finances and payments for the scheme. "Over the past two years, American entities associated with Duque carried out several money transfers, totalling millions of US dollars," the government release noted.

Colombian national Mónica Muñoz was the fourth individual to be penalized, with the company she managed accused of financial transactions connected to Duque and his businesses.

"The US once more urges outside forces to halt the flow of financial and military support to the warring parties," the department stated.

Expert Analysis

An expert, senior analyst at the International Crisis Group, called the sanctions as a "major" development, stating that "targeting the enablers is the correct approach".

Furthermore, Bogotá has enacted a law endorsing the International Convention Against the Recruitment and Use of Mercenaries, designed to limit its citizens' long history in overseas wars and transform national security policy.

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

"It operates in the black market and based out of the UAE, which is difficult to penalize," he commented. The United Arab Emirates has been frequently alleged of providing arms to the militia, claims it rejects. "This trend will probably continue," McFate warned.