🔗 Share this article

The Washington has enforced penalties on a network of four individuals and four companies charged of enlisting South American contractors to support and educate a armed faction in Sudan which the US alleges of acts of genocide.

Group Makeup

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

Numerous of ex-soldiers from Colombia have reportedly travelled to Sudan to fight alongside the RSF paramilitary group, a force linked to terrible atrocities such as ethnically targeted slaughter and large-scale abductions.

Revelation of Role

The involvement of Colombian fighters initially emerged the previous year, prompted by an inquiry which found that over three hundred ex-military personnel had been recruited to engage in combat – an revelation that resulted in an rare mea culpa from Colombia’s foreign ministry.

These South American veterans have widely regarded as highly prized fighters in conflict zones due to their considerable warzone knowledge resulting from decades of civil war, familiarity with advanced weaponry, and superior tactical education.

Activities in Sudan

In Sudan, the contractors have allegedly instructed child soldiers, taught fighters to pilot drones, and participated in direct battles. An individual involved previously stated that training children was "terrible and insane" but added that "unfortunately that’s how war is".

Targeted Persons

Among those penalized was Álvaro Andrés Quijano Becerra, a citizen of both Colombia and Italy and former army officer based in the UAE. The US authorities alleged he played a key part in recruiting and deploying former Colombian soldiers to Sudan. His wife, Claudia Viviana Oliveros Forero, was similarly targeted.

Also on the restricted list was Mateo Andrés Duque Botero, a individual with Colombian and Spanish citizenship who officials alleged oversaw a company implicated in handling funds and payroll for the recruitment operation. "Over the past two years, US-based firms linked to Duque carried out numerous wire transfers, amounting to millions," the Treasury statement stated.

Citizen of Colombia Mónica Muñoz Ucros was the final person to be sanctioned, with the company she managed said to have conducted wire transfers associated with Duque and his operations.

"The United States again calls on outside forces to stop giving financial and military support to the belligerents," the Treasury announced.

Expert Analysis

An expert, from a conflict think tank, described the sanctions as a "very significant" milestone, noting that "identifying the recruiters is the correct approach".

She added that, Bogotá recently passed a piece of legislation ratifying the global treaty against mercenarism, designed to limit its citizens' long history in overseas wars and transform its security approach.

A mercenary specialist, a authority on private military contractors, urged more caution, stating that "sanctions are necessary but insufficient for addressing rampant mercenarism".

"It’s an illicit economy and operating from Dubai, which is relatively sanction-proof," he stated. The United Arab Emirates has been repeatedly implicated of providing arms to the militia, allegations it disputes. "Expect more Colombian mercenaries," McFate warned.