🔗 Share this article

The United States has levied restrictions on a network of four people and four firms alleged of hiring South American contractors to support and educate a militia force in Sudan the United States claims of acts of genocide.

Group Makeup

Announcing the measures on Tuesday, the US Treasury Department stated the scheme was mostly comprised of Colombian nationals and companies.

Scores of retired Colombian troops have reportedly travelled to the conflict in Sudan to combat beside the Sudanese RSF militia, a group accused of terrible atrocities encompassing massacres based on ethnicity and widespread kidnappings.

Revelation of Role

The participation of ex-soldiers first came to light last year, prompted by an inquiry which found that over three hundred ex-military personnel had been hired to participate in the war – an discovery that prompted an unusual statement of regret from the Colombian government.

Former Colombian military have long been considered as highly prized fighters in conflict zones due to their extensive battlefield experience resulting from years of internal conflict, knowledge of advanced weaponry, and superior tactical education.

Role in the Conflict

In the conflict, the contractors have reportedly trained child soldiers, taught fighters to pilot drones, and engaged in frontline combat. One source remarked that working with child soldiers was "horrific and irrational" but added that "regrettably, war operates that way".

Targeted Persons

Among those sanctioned was a dual national, a citizen of both Colombia and Italy and retired Colombian military officer located in the UAE. The government accused him a central role in enlisting and transporting ex-military personnel to Sudan. His spouse, Claudia Oliveros, was penalized as well.

Also on the penalty list was Mateo Andrés Duque Botero, a dual national who the Treasury stated managed a business linked to processing money and salaries for the scheme. "Recently, American entities linked to Duque engaged in numerous wire transfers, totalling millions of US dollars," the official announcement said.

Citizen of Colombia Mónica Muñoz Ucros was the other individual to be sanctioned, with the firm she operated accused of financial transactions connected to Duque and his companies.

"Washington reiterates its demand for outside forces to stop giving financial and military support to the warring parties," the Treasury announced.

Reaction

An expert, senior analyst at the International Crisis Group, labeled the sanctions as a "highly important" step, stating that "calling out those who are doing the contracting is the correct approach".

She added that, the Colombian government recently passed a piece of legislation endorsing the global treaty against mercenarism, seeking to reduce years of participation by its nationals in overseas wars and reshape national security policy.

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

"It operates in the black market and based out of the UAE, which is difficult to penalize," he commented. The Emirati government has been repeatedly implicated of supplying weapons to the paramilitary group, an accusation it has denied. "More contractors from Colombia are likely," McFate warned.