🔗 Share this article

The US government has levied restrictions on a network of several persons and entities alleged of recruiting South American contractors to combat alongside and instruct a armed faction in Sudan the United States claims of acts of genocide.

Group Makeup

Revealing the sanctions on Tuesday, the US Treasury Department stated the network was primarily made up of Colombian citizens and firms.

Scores of ex-soldiers from Colombia have reportedly travelled to Sudan to operate with the Sudanese RSF militia, a force implicated in horrific war crimes including massacres based on ethnicity and large-scale abductions.

Emergence of Involvement

The involvement of Colombian fighters initially emerged the previous year, following an report which revealed that more than 300 former soldiers had been contracted to participate in the war – an discovery that resulted in an rare mea culpa from the Colombian government.

Colombian ex-soldiers have long been considered as among the world’s most sought-after mercenaries due to their considerable warzone knowledge resulting from a long-running domestic war, knowledge of advanced weaponry, and elite military instruction.

Activities in Sudan

In the conflict, the mercenaries have reportedly trained minors, instructed militiamen in drone operation, and participated in direct battles. An individual involved previously stated that working with child soldiers was "awful and crazy" but commented that "unfortunately that’s how war is".

Targeted Persons

Among those sanctioned was Álvaro Andrés Quijano Becerra, a citizen of both Colombia and Italy and ex-soldier operating from the UAE. The Treasury said he had a central role in hiring and sending former Colombian soldiers to Sudan. His wife, Claudia Oliveros, was penalized as well.

Also on the sanctions list was Mateo Andrés Duque Botero, a individual with Colombian and Spanish citizenship who officials alleged oversaw a company implicated in managing finances and payments for the network. "Recently, US-based firms linked to Duque conducted multiple financial transactions, worth millions," the Treasury statement said.

Colombian national Mónica Muñoz Ucros was the other individual to be penalized, with the company she managed alleged to have financial transactions associated with Duque and his companies.

"The United States again calls on outside forces to halt the flow of funding and arms to the belligerents," the Treasury announced.

Analyst Commentary

Elizabeth Dickinson, senior analyst at the International Crisis Group, called the sanctions as a "very significant" step, saying that "calling out those who are doing the contracting is the correct approach".

It was also noted that, Bogotá ratified a piece of legislation endorsing the anti-mercenary convention, designed to limit decades of Colombian involvement in foreign conflicts and transform domestic defense strategy.

A mercenary specialist, a scholar on the subject, urged more caution, saying that "penalties are required yet incomplete for addressing rampant mercenarism".

"This is a shadow economy and centered in the Emirates, which is difficult to penalize," he commented. The United Arab Emirates has been widely accused of providing arms to the militia, an accusation it has denied. "Expect more Colombian mercenaries," he advised.