🔗 Share this article

The Washington has levied restrictions on a operation of four individuals and four companies alleged of enlisting former Colombian soldiers to combat alongside and instruct a armed faction in Sudan the United States claims of committing genocide.

Operation Structure

Disclosing the restrictions on Tuesday, the US Treasury Department stated the scheme was primarily made up of Colombian citizens and firms.

Numerous of retired Colombian troops have reportedly travelled to Sudan to operate with the RSF paramilitary group, a group linked to severe violations encompassing massacres based on ethnicity and mass abductions.

Revelation of Role

The participation of ex-soldiers first came to light in 2024, prompted by an investigation which found that over three hundred ex-military personnel had been recruited to participate in the war – an discovery that led to an unprecedented apology from Colombia’s foreign ministry.

Former Colombian military have widely regarded as highly prized fighters in conflict zones due to their extensive battlefield experience acquired during a long-running domestic war, knowledge of Nato equipment, and elite military instruction.

Activities in Sudan

In Sudan, the mercenaries have reportedly trained child soldiers, taught fighters to pilot drones, and engaged in frontline combat. A mercenary remarked that working with child soldiers was "horrific and irrational" but commented that "regrettably, war operates that way".

Targeted Persons

Among those targeted was a retired Colombian officer, a dual Colombian-Italian national and former army officer based in the Dubai. The government alleged he played a pivotal function in recruiting and deploying ex-military personnel to Sudan. His wife, Claudia Viviana Oliveros Forero, was penalized as well.

Also on the penalty list was Mateo Andrés Duque Botero, a dual national who officials alleged managed a business linked to processing money and salaries for the network. "Recently, US-based firms associated with Duque engaged in several money transfers, worth millions," the government release noted.

Colombian national Mónica Muñoz Ucros was the fourth individual to be targeted, with the company she managed said to have conducted wire transfers linked to Duque and his operations.

"The US once more urges foreign parties to halt the flow of financial and military support to the combatants," the agency stated.

Analyst Commentary

Elizabeth Dickinson, senior analyst at the International Crisis Group, described the sanctions as a "highly important" step, noting that "targeting the enablers is the proper strategy".

She added that, the Colombian government has enacted a statute ratifying the global treaty against mercenarism, seeking to reduce years of participation by its nationals in overseas wars and transform national security policy.

A mercenary specialist, a scholar on the subject, called for greater wariness, noting that "sanctions are necessary but insufficient for combating widespread use of contractors".

"This is a shadow economy and operating from the Emirates, which is relatively sanction-proof," he stated. The United Arab Emirates has been widely accused of supplying weapons to the paramilitary group, claims it rejects. "More contractors from Colombia are likely," the expert cautioned.