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The US government has imposed sanctions on a operation of four individuals and four companies accused of recruiting South American contractors to combat alongside and instruct a militia force in Sudan that Washington accuses of genocidal acts.

Network Composition

Announcing the sanctions on Tuesday, the US Treasury Department stated the scheme was mostly comprised of Colombian citizens and firms.

Scores of retired Colombian troops have allegedly journeyed to the Sudanese warzone to combat beside the RSF paramilitary group, a force accused of terrible atrocities such as massacres based on ethnicity and large-scale abductions.

Emergence of Involvement

The participation of ex-soldiers initially emerged the previous year, following an report which disclosed that hundreds of former soldiers had been contracted to participate in the war – an discovery that led to an unusual statement of regret from Colombia’s foreign ministry.

Colombian ex-soldiers have widely regarded as among the world’s most sought-after mercenaries due to their vast combat experience acquired during a long-running domestic war, knowledge of advanced weaponry, and elite military instruction.

Reported Actions

In the Sudanese theater, the contractors have reportedly trained child soldiers, provided drone warfare training, and participated in direct battles. One source previously stated that training children was "awful and crazy" but added that "unfortunately that’s how war is".

Sanctioned Individuals

Among those sanctioned was Álvaro Andrés Quijano Becerra, a individual with dual citizenship and retired Colombian military officer based in the UAE. The Treasury alleged he played a key part in enlisting and transporting former Colombian soldiers to Sudan. His wife, Claudia Oliveros, was similarly targeted.

Also on the restricted list was Mateo Andrés Duque Botero, a individual with Colombian and Spanish citizenship who the Treasury stated oversaw a company accused of processing money and salaries for the network. "Over the past two years, American entities linked to Duque conducted numerous wire transfers, worth millions," the official announcement noted.

Citizen of Colombia Mónica Muñoz was the fourth individual to be penalized, with the entity she oversaw alleged to have money transfers associated with Duque and his companies.

"The US once more urges external actors to stop giving funding and arms to the warring parties," the department announced.

Expert Analysis

Elizabeth Dickinson, senior analyst at the International Crisis Group, labeled the sanctions as a "major" milestone, noting that "calling out those who are doing the contracting is the right way to go".

She added that, Bogotá recently passed a statute endorsing the International Convention Against the Recruitment and Use of Mercenaries, seeking to reduce decades of Colombian involvement in overseas wars and reshape its security approach.

A mercenary specialist, a scholar on the subject, urged more caution, noting that "restrictions are needed but not enough for combating the growing mercenary trade".

"This is a shadow economy and based out of the Emirates, which is difficult to penalize," he stated. The UAE has been frequently alleged of supplying weapons to the paramilitary group, allegations it disputes. "This trend will probably continue," the expert cautioned.