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The US government has imposed sanctions on a operation of four people and four firms alleged of hiring former Colombian soldiers to support and educate a militia force in Sudan that Washington accuses of acts of genocide.

Group Makeup

Disclosing the measures on this week, the US Treasury Department stated the scheme was primarily made up of Colombian citizens and firms.

Scores of retired Colombian troops have been recruited to go to the Sudanese warzone to fight alongside the Sudanese RSF militia, a force implicated in horrific war crimes including massacres based on ethnicity and large-scale abductions.

Discovery of Participation

The participation of ex-soldiers initially emerged last year, following an investigation which disclosed that hundreds of retired troops had been recruited to fight – an event that led to an unusual statement of regret from officials in Bogotá.

These South American veterans have historically been seen as among the world’s most sought-after mercenaries due to their extensive battlefield experience gleaned from decades of civil war, knowledge of Nato equipment, and high-level combat training.

Reported Actions

In the Sudanese theater, the mercenaries have allegedly instructed underage fighters, taught fighters to pilot drones, and engaged in frontline combat. A mercenary remarked that instructing minors was "terrible and insane" but added that "unfortunately that’s how war is".

Sanctioned Individuals

Among those targeted was a dual national, a individual with dual citizenship and retired Colombian military officer operating from the Dubai. The government accused him a pivotal function in hiring and sending ex-military personnel to Sudan. His wife, Claudia Oliveros, was penalized as well.

Also on the sanctions list was Mateo Duque Botero, a dual Colombian-Spanish citizen who officials alleged managed a business linked to handling funds and payroll for the recruitment operation. "Over the past two years, US-based firms connected to Duque carried out multiple financial transactions, worth millions," the government release stated.

Colombian national Mónica Muñoz Ucros was the fourth individual to be sanctioned, with the company she managed accused of money transfers associated with Duque and his companies.

"The United States again calls on foreign parties to halt the flow of financial and military support to the combatants," the agency stated.

Analyst Commentary

An expert, with the International Crisis Group, labeled the sanctions as a "very significant" milestone, stating that "targeting the enablers is the proper strategy".

Furthermore, the Colombian government recently passed a statute ratifying the anti-mercenary convention, designed to limit its citizens' long history in foreign conflicts and change domestic defense strategy.

Another expert, a scholar on the subject, advised additional measures, stating that "restrictions are needed but not enough for combating the growing mercenary trade".

"It operates in the black market and operating from the Emirates, which is difficult to penalize," he stated. The United Arab Emirates has been widely accused of providing arms to the militia, claims it rejects. "This trend will probably continue," he advised.