Washington Levies Restrictions on Network Alleged of Recruiting South American Fighters to Sudan.

The US government has levied restrictions on a network of four individuals and four companies alleged of enlisting Colombian mercenaries to support and educate a Sudanese paramilitary group which the US alleges of committing genocide.

Network Composition

Revealing the measures on Tuesday, the Treasury stated the scheme was primarily made up of Colombian citizens and firms.

Numerous of retired Colombian troops have been recruited to go to the Sudanese warzone to operate with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a faction accused of terrible atrocities encompassing massacres based on ethnicity and large-scale abductions.

Revelation of Role

The role of these mercenaries first came to light in 2024, following an report which revealed that over three hundred former soldiers had been hired to participate in the war – an revelation that led to an unprecedented apology from officials in Bogotá.

Former Colombian military have historically been seen as some of the most in-demand contractors globally due to their considerable warzone knowledge gleaned from decades of civil war, familiarity with advanced weaponry, and elite military instruction.

Role in the Conflict

In the conflict, the mercenaries have been accused of teaching child soldiers, instructed militiamen in drone operation, and fought directly on the frontlines. One source was quoted as saying that training children was "terrible and insane" but noted that "unfortunately that’s how war is".

Sanctioned Individuals

Among those targeted was Álvaro Andrés Quijano Becerra, a citizen of both Colombia and Italy and ex-soldier located in the United Arab Emirates. The government said he had a pivotal function in hiring and sending former Colombian soldiers to Sudan. His spouse, Claudia Viviana Oliveros Forero, was penalized as well.

Also on the penalty list was Mateo Duque Botero, a individual with Colombian and Spanish citizenship who the Treasury stated managed a business implicated in handling funds and payroll for the network. "Recently, US-based firms linked to Duque conducted several money transfers, totalling millions of US dollars," the official announcement noted.

Individual Mónica Muñoz Ucros was the fourth individual to be sanctioned, with the firm she operated said to have conducted wire transfers linked to Duque and his companies.

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

Reaction

A senior analyst, with the International Crisis Group, called the measures as a "major" development, saying that "identifying the recruiters is the proper strategy".

She added that, Colombia ratified a statute ratifying the International Convention Against the Recruitment and Use of Mercenaries, aiming to curb years of participation by its nationals in overseas wars and change national security policy.

Sean McFate, a scholar on the subject, urged more caution, noting that "sanctions are necessary but insufficient for dealing with the growing mercenary trade".

"This is a shadow economy and operating from the UAE, which is largely insulated from sanctions," he stated. The Emirati government has been repeatedly implicated of supplying weapons to the paramilitary group, allegations it disputes. "More contractors from Colombia are likely," he advised.