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The US government has imposed sanctions on a network of four individuals and four companies charged of hiring South American contractors to fight for and train a militia force in Sudan that Washington accuses of committing genocide.

Group Makeup

Announcing the restrictions on this week, the US Treasury Department stated the network was primarily made up of Colombian citizens and firms.

Scores of retired Colombian troops have allegedly journeyed to the Sudanese warzone to operate with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a faction accused of severe violations such as massacres based on ethnicity and widespread kidnappings.

Revelation of Role

The role of these mercenaries was first uncovered the previous year, after an report which found that hundreds of ex-military personnel had been hired to engage in combat – an discovery that prompted an unprecedented apology from the Colombian government.

Colombian ex-soldiers have historically been seen as some of the most in-demand contractors globally due to their vast combat experience gleaned from decades of civil war, training on Western military gear, and superior tactical education.

Activities in Sudan

In the conflict, the mercenaries have allegedly instructed minors, taught fighters to pilot drones, and participated in direct battles. One source remarked 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 dual Colombian-Italian national and former army officer based in the Dubai. The government said he had a pivotal function in enlisting and transporting mercenaries to Sudan. His wife, Claudia Viviana Oliveros Forero, was similarly targeted.

Also on the sanctions list was Mateo Andrés Duque Botero, a dual Colombian-Spanish citizen who officials alleged managed a business implicated in managing finances and payments for the recruitment operation. "Over the past two years, American entities linked to Duque engaged in multiple financial transactions, amounting to millions," the Treasury statement stated.

Colombian national Mónica Muñoz Ucros was the other individual to be penalized, with the entity she oversaw 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 financial and military support to the warring parties," the Treasury said in a statement.

Analyst Commentary

Elizabeth Dickinson, from a conflict think tank, described the actions as a "major" development, noting that "identifying the recruiters is the correct approach".

It was also noted that, the Colombian government ratified a law endorsing the anti-mercenary convention, seeking to reduce years of participation by its nationals in foreign conflicts and transform its security approach.

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

"It operates in the black market and centered in Dubai, which is largely insulated from sanctions," he said. The UAE has been repeatedly implicated of supplying weapons to the paramilitary group, an accusation it has denied. "This trend will probably continue," the expert cautioned.