🔗 Share this article

The US government has levied restrictions on a group of four people and four firms alleged of enlisting South American contractors to support and educate a armed faction in Sudan the United States claims of genocidal acts.

Group Makeup

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

Hundreds of retired Colombian troops have allegedly journeyed to Sudan to fight alongside the RSF paramilitary group, a group accused of terrible atrocities such as ethnically targeted slaughter and large-scale abductions.

Discovery of Participation

The involvement of Colombian fighters first came to light last year, after an investigation which disclosed that over three hundred former soldiers had been hired to participate in the war – an discovery that prompted an unprecedented apology from Colombia’s foreign ministry.

These South American veterans have historically been seen as some of the most in-demand contractors globally due to their considerable warzone knowledge acquired during a long-running domestic war, familiarity with Nato equipment, and high-level combat training.

Role in the Conflict

In the conflict, the contractors have reportedly trained child soldiers, provided drone warfare training, and engaged in frontline combat. An individual involved was quoted as saying that training children was "horrific and irrational" but noted that "unfortunately that’s how war is".

Sanctioned Individuals

Among those targeted was Álvaro Andrés Quijano Becerra, a dual Colombian-Italian national and ex-soldier operating from the UAE. The US authorities said he had a pivotal function in recruiting and deploying mercenaries to Sudan. His wife, Claudia Oliveros, was similarly targeted.

Also on the penalty list was Mateo Duque Botero, a individual with Colombian and Spanish citizenship who officials alleged ran a firm implicated in handling funds and payroll for the recruitment operation. "Over the past two years, American entities connected to Duque carried out numerous wire transfers, worth millions," the official announcement stated.

Citizen of Colombia Mónica Muñoz was the other individual to be penalized, with the entity she oversaw accused of wire transfers associated with Duque and his operations.

"The United States again calls on outside forces to cease providing financial and military support to the warring parties," the agency announced.

Analyst Commentary

A senior analyst, with the International Crisis Group, labeled the actions as a "very significant" milestone, saying that "targeting the enablers is the correct approach".

She added that, the Colombian government has enacted a statute ratifying the International Convention Against the Recruitment and Use of Mercenaries, aiming to curb its citizens' long history in foreign conflicts and change its security approach.

Another expert, a authority on private military contractors, called for greater wariness, noting that "sanctions are necessary but insufficient for dealing with the growing mercenary trade".

"It operates in the black market and operating from the UAE, which is difficult to penalize," he said. The Emirati government has been frequently alleged of supplying weapons to the paramilitary group, claims it rejects. "More contractors from Colombia are likely," he advised.