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The Washington has imposed sanctions on a operation of several persons and entities accused of enlisting South American contractors to combat alongside and instruct a armed faction in Sudan which the US alleges of committing genocide.

Operation Structure

Revealing the sanctions on this week, the American treasury stated the network was largely composed of individuals and businesses from Colombia.

Scores of retired Colombian troops have reportedly travelled to Sudan to operate with the Sudanese RSF militia, a group implicated in severe violations such as massacres based on ethnicity and large-scale abductions.

Emergence of Involvement

The involvement of Colombian fighters first came to light the previous year, prompted by an report which disclosed that more than 300 former soldiers had been hired to engage in combat – an event that led to an rare mea culpa from Colombia’s foreign ministry.

These South American veterans have historically been seen as some of the most in-demand contractors globally due to their extensive battlefield experience acquired during decades of civil war, familiarity with Nato equipment, and elite military instruction.

Role in the Conflict

In the conflict, the mercenaries have been accused of teaching child soldiers, provided drone warfare training, and participated in direct battles. A mercenary remarked that training children was "horrific and irrational" but noted that "sadly, that is the nature of conflict".

Sanctioned Individuals

Among those targeted was a dual national, a citizen of both Colombia and Italy and former army officer located in the UAE. The government accused him a central role in hiring and sending former Colombian soldiers to Sudan. His spouse, Claudia Viviana Oliveros Forero, was similarly targeted.

Also on the sanctions list was Duque Botero, a dual Colombian-Spanish citizen who officials alleged managed a business accused of 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 Treasury statement stated.

Individual Mónica Muñoz Ucros was the fourth individual to be sanctioned, with the entity she oversaw alleged to have financial transactions linked to Duque and his companies.

"The US once more urges external actors to halt the flow of funding and arms to the combatants," the department announced.

Analyst Commentary

A senior analyst, with the International Crisis Group, labeled the actions as a "major" milestone, noting that "calling out those who are doing the contracting is the proper strategy".

She added that, Colombia has enacted a statute endorsing the global treaty against mercenarism, aiming to curb decades of Colombian involvement in foreign conflicts and reshape national security policy.

A mercenary specialist, an expert on mercenaries, urged more caution, saying that "restrictions are needed but not enough for addressing rampant mercenarism".

"This is a shadow economy and centered in the Emirates, which is relatively sanction-proof," he said. The Emirati government has been widely accused of supplying weapons to the paramilitary group, an accusation it has denied. "This trend will probably continue," he advised.