🔗 Share this article

The Washington has imposed sanctions on a operation of four people and four firms alleged of hiring Colombian mercenaries to combat alongside and instruct a armed faction in Sudan the United States claims of acts of genocide.

Group Makeup

Announcing the sanctions on this week, the Treasury stated the operation was mostly comprised of individuals and businesses from Colombia.

Numerous of retired Colombian troops have allegedly journeyed to the conflict in Sudan to combat beside the Sudanese RSF militia, a group implicated in severe violations such as ethnically targeted slaughter and widespread kidnappings.

Discovery of Participation

The role of these mercenaries was first uncovered the previous year, after an investigation which disclosed that more than 300 former soldiers had been contracted to engage in combat – an event that resulted in an unprecedented apology from Colombia’s foreign ministry.

These South American veterans have widely regarded as highly prized fighters in conflict zones due to their extensive battlefield experience resulting from decades of civil war, familiarity with Western military gear, and superior tactical education.

Role in the Conflict

In the Sudanese theater, the mercenaries have been accused of teaching underage fighters, taught fighters to pilot drones, and engaged in frontline combat. One source remarked that training children was "horrific and irrational" but noted that "sadly, that is the nature of conflict".

Named Entities

Among those penalized was a dual national, a citizen of both Colombia and Italy and former army officer located in the United Arab Emirates. The US authorities accused him a central role in recruiting and deploying former Colombian soldiers to Sudan. His spouse, Claudia Viviana Oliveros Forero, was similarly targeted.

Also on the penalty list was Mateo Andrés Duque Botero, a dual Colombian-Spanish citizen who authorities say oversaw a company implicated in handling funds and payroll for the recruitment operation. "Over the past two years, US-based firms linked to Duque engaged in numerous wire transfers, amounting to millions," the government release stated.

Individual Mónica Muñoz was the other individual to be sanctioned, with the company she managed accused of wire transfers associated with Duque and his companies.

"The US once more urges external actors to halt the flow of funding and arms to the belligerents," the department said in a statement.

Analyst Commentary

An expert, with the International Crisis Group, described the actions as a "very significant" milestone, stating that "targeting the enablers is the proper strategy".

Furthermore, Bogotá ratified a statute approving the anti-mercenary convention, aiming to curb years of participation by its nationals in foreign conflicts and transform its security approach.

A mercenary specialist, a authority on private military contractors, advised additional measures, saying that "sanctions are necessary but insufficient for combating rampant mercenarism".

"It operates in the black market and centered in the UAE, which is difficult to penalize," he stated. The Emirati government has been repeatedly implicated of supplying weapons to the paramilitary group, claims it rejects. "Expect more Colombian mercenaries," he advised.