🔗 Share this article

The Washington has levied restrictions on a group of four individuals and four companies accused of hiring former Colombian soldiers to fight for and train a armed faction in Sudan which the US alleges of genocidal acts.

Network Composition

Announcing the measures on this week, the Treasury stated the operation was largely composed of Colombian nationals and companies.

Hundreds of ex-soldiers from Colombia have reportedly travelled to the conflict in Sudan to fight alongside the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a group accused of terrible atrocities such as targeted ethnic killings and mass abductions.

Revelation of Role

The role of these mercenaries was first uncovered the previous year, after an investigation which revealed that more than 300 former soldiers had been hired to engage in combat – an event that prompted an unusual statement of regret from officials in Bogotá.

Colombian ex-soldiers have widely regarded as some of the most in-demand contractors globally due to their extensive battlefield experience gleaned from decades of civil war, training on advanced weaponry, and high-level combat training.

Reported Actions

In Sudan, the contractors have allegedly instructed underage fighters, provided drone warfare training, and fought directly on the frontlines. One source remarked that working with child soldiers was "horrific and irrational" but noted that "unfortunately that’s how war is".

Targeted Persons

Among those targeted was a retired Colombian officer, a individual with dual citizenship and ex-soldier based in the Dubai. The US authorities said he had a central role in hiring and sending former Colombian soldiers to Sudan. His spouse, Claudia Viviana Oliveros Forero, was similarly targeted.

Also on the penalty list was Duque Botero, a dual Colombian-Spanish citizen who authorities say managed a business implicated in managing finances and payments for the scheme. "Recently, US-based firms associated with Duque conducted numerous wire transfers, worth millions," the government release said.

Colombian national Mónica Muñoz was the other individual to be sanctioned, with the firm she operated said to have conducted financial transactions connected to Duque and his companies.

"The US once more urges outside forces to stop giving monetary and weaponry aid to the combatants," the agency announced.

Reaction

A senior analyst, senior analyst at the International Crisis Group, labeled the measures as a "very significant" step, noting that "targeting the enablers is the proper strategy".

She added that, the Colombian government has enacted a piece of legislation approving the global treaty against mercenarism, aiming to curb decades of Colombian involvement in foreign conflicts and transform its security approach.

Another expert, a scholar on the subject, urged more caution, noting that "restrictions are needed but not enough for dealing with widespread use of contractors".

"This is a shadow economy and centered in the Emirates, which is largely insulated from sanctions," he said. The United Arab Emirates has been widely accused of arming the RSF, claims it rejects. "This trend will probably continue," McFate warned.