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The United States has levied restrictions on a network of four individuals and four companies accused of hiring former Colombian soldiers to fight for and train a Sudanese paramilitary group which the US alleges of acts of genocide.

Group Makeup

Revealing the restrictions on this week, the US Treasury Department stated the scheme was mostly comprised of individuals and businesses from Colombia.

Scores of ex-soldiers from Colombia have reportedly travelled to the Sudanese warzone to fight alongside the RSF paramilitary group, a faction linked to horrific war crimes encompassing targeted ethnic killings and mass abductions.

Emergence of Involvement

The role of these mercenaries first came to light the previous year, after an report which found that hundreds of ex-military personnel had been hired to fight – an event that prompted an rare mea culpa from officials in Bogotá.

Colombian ex-soldiers have widely regarded as highly prized fighters in conflict zones due to their extensive battlefield experience gleaned from a long-running domestic war, familiarity with Nato equipment, and elite military instruction.

Reported Actions

In the conflict, the Colombians have reportedly trained child soldiers, instructed militiamen in drone operation, and fought directly on the frontlines. One source previously stated that instructing minors was "terrible and insane" but added that "unfortunately that’s how war is".

Named Entities

Among those sanctioned was a retired Colombian officer, a individual with dual citizenship and former army officer located in the Dubai. The US authorities accused him a central role in enlisting and transporting ex-military personnel to Sudan. His wife, Claudia Viviana Oliveros Forero, was also sanctioned.

Also on the penalty list was Mateo Andrés Duque Botero, a dual Colombian-Spanish citizen who the Treasury stated managed a business accused of managing finances and payments for the scheme. "Recently, US-based firms connected to Duque carried out several money transfers, worth millions," the official announcement noted.

Citizen of Colombia Mónica Muñoz Ucros was the fourth individual to be penalized, with the company she managed accused of wire transfers connected to Duque and his businesses.

"The US once more urges external actors to halt the flow of funding and arms to the warring parties," the agency said in a statement.

Reaction

An expert, from a conflict think tank, described the measures as a "major" milestone, stating that "identifying the recruiters is the correct approach".

She added that, Bogotá has enacted a piece of legislation approving the International Convention Against the Recruitment and Use of Mercenaries, seeking to reduce its citizens' long history in international fights and reshape domestic defense strategy.

Sean McFate, an expert on mercenaries, called for greater wariness, noting that "sanctions are necessary but insufficient for combating widespread use of contractors".

"This is a shadow economy and operating from Dubai, which is difficult to penalize," he said. The United Arab Emirates has been repeatedly implicated of providing arms to the militia, claims it rejects. "This trend will probably continue," the expert cautioned.