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The US government has imposed sanctions on a group of several persons and entities charged of enlisting former Colombian soldiers to support and educate a Sudanese paramilitary group that Washington accuses of acts of genocide.

Operation Structure

Announcing the sanctions on Tuesday, the US Treasury Department stated the scheme was primarily made up of Colombian nationals and companies.

Numerous of ex-soldiers from Colombia have reportedly travelled to the Sudanese warzone to operate with the RSF paramilitary group, a faction linked to severe violations such as massacres based on ethnicity and mass abductions.

Discovery of Participation

The participation of ex-soldiers was first uncovered last year, following an inquiry which found that more than 300 ex-military personnel had been recruited to fight – an revelation that led to an rare mea culpa from officials in Bogotá.

These South American veterans have long been considered as among the world’s most sought-after mercenaries due to their extensive battlefield experience resulting from a long-running domestic war, training on Western military gear, and elite military instruction.

Reported Actions

In the Sudanese theater, the mercenaries have been accused of teaching underage fighters, instructed militiamen in drone operation, and engaged in frontline combat. A mercenary was quoted as saying that training children was "awful and crazy" but added that "regrettably, war operates that way".

Named Entities

Among those penalized was Álvaro Andrés Quijano Becerra, a individual with dual citizenship and retired Colombian military officer operating from the UAE. The US authorities accused him a key part in recruiting and deploying ex-military personnel to Sudan. His wife, Claudia Oliveros, was similarly targeted.

Also on the sanctions list was Duque Botero, a dual Colombian-Spanish citizen who authorities say managed a business accused of processing money and salaries for the scheme. "Over the past two years, US-based firms connected to Duque conducted several money transfers, worth millions," the Treasury statement noted.

Individual Mónica Muñoz was the final person to be sanctioned, with the entity she oversaw said to have conducted wire transfers associated with Duque and his operations.

"Washington reiterates its demand for foreign parties to stop giving funding and arms to the warring parties," the Treasury announced.

Reaction

Elizabeth Dickinson, from a conflict think tank, labeled the measures as a "very significant" milestone, saying that "calling out those who are doing the contracting is the correct approach".

She added that, Colombia recently passed a statute approving the anti-mercenary convention, aiming to curb its citizens' long history in international fights and transform its security approach.

A mercenary specialist, an expert on mercenaries, advised additional measures, saying that "restrictions are needed but not enough for combating rampant mercenarism".

"This is a shadow economy and operating from the UAE, which is relatively sanction-proof," he stated. The United Arab Emirates has been frequently alleged of providing arms to the militia, allegations it disputes. "More contractors from Colombia are likely," McFate warned.