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The United States has imposed sanctions on a network of several persons and entities alleged of hiring Colombian mercenaries to combat alongside and instruct a militia force in Sudan which the US alleges of genocidal acts.

Operation Structure

Announcing the restrictions on this week, the American treasury stated the scheme was primarily made up of Colombian citizens and firms.

Numerous of ex-soldiers from Colombia have been recruited to go to the conflict in Sudan to combat beside the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a group linked to horrific war crimes encompassing targeted ethnic killings and widespread kidnappings.

Emergence of Involvement

The participation of ex-soldiers initially emerged in 2024, prompted by an report which revealed that hundreds of retired troops had been recruited to fight – an revelation that resulted in an rare mea culpa from the Colombian government.

Colombian ex-soldiers have historically been seen as among the world’s most sought-after mercenaries due to their extensive battlefield experience resulting from a long-running domestic war, familiarity with Western military gear, and superior tactical education.

Role in the Conflict

In the conflict, the contractors have reportedly trained child soldiers, taught fighters to pilot drones, and participated in direct battles. One source remarked that training children was "awful and crazy" but added that "sadly, that is the nature of conflict".

Named Entities

Among those targeted was a retired Colombian officer, a dual Colombian-Italian national and former army officer based in the United Arab Emirates. The government accused him a central role in recruiting and deploying mercenaries to Sudan. His spouse, Claudia Viviana Oliveros Forero, was similarly targeted.

Also on the sanctions list was Mateo Andrés Duque Botero, a individual with Colombian and Spanish citizenship who authorities say oversaw a company linked to managing finances and payments for the scheme. "Over the past two years, US-based firms linked to Duque carried out numerous wire transfers, totalling millions of US dollars," the government release stated.

Individual Mónica Muñoz Ucros was the final person to be penalized, with the entity she oversaw said to have conducted wire transfers connected to Duque and his companies.

"Washington reiterates its demand for foreign parties to halt the flow of funding and arms to the warring parties," the agency stated.

Analyst Commentary

Elizabeth Dickinson, from a conflict think tank, described the measures as a "major" development, noting that "identifying the recruiters is the right way to go".

She added that, Colombia recently passed a statute endorsing the anti-mercenary convention, aiming to curb years of participation by its nationals in overseas wars and transform domestic defense strategy.

Sean McFate, a authority on private military contractors, advised additional measures, noting that "restrictions are needed but not enough for addressing rampant mercenarism".

"This is a shadow economy and based out of the UAE, which is relatively sanction-proof," he said. The Emirati government has been widely accused of providing arms to the militia, claims it rejects. "More contractors from Colombia are likely," the expert cautioned.