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The Washington has levied restrictions on a network of several persons and entities alleged of recruiting former Colombian soldiers to support and educate a Sudanese paramilitary group which the US alleges of committing genocide.

Group Makeup

Announcing the restrictions on this week, the Treasury stated the network was largely composed of individuals and businesses from Colombia.

Numerous of ex-soldiers from Colombia have been recruited to go to the conflict in Sudan to operate with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a group accused of severe violations such as massacres based on ethnicity and widespread kidnappings.

Emergence of Involvement

The role of these mercenaries was first uncovered in 2024, after an investigation which disclosed that more than 300 ex-military personnel had been contracted to fight – an revelation that prompted an rare mea culpa from the Colombian government.

These South American veterans have long been considered as highly prized fighters in conflict zones due to their considerable warzone knowledge gleaned from a long-running domestic war, knowledge of advanced weaponry, and elite military instruction.

Role in the Conflict

In the Sudanese theater, the Colombians have allegedly instructed underage fighters, taught fighters to pilot drones, and participated in direct battles. One source was quoted as saying that instructing minors was "awful and crazy" but commented that "unfortunately that’s how war is".

Named Entities

Among those sanctioned was Álvaro Andrés Quijano Becerra, a individual with dual citizenship and former army officer based in the Dubai. The government accused him a key part in recruiting and deploying mercenaries to Sudan. His spouse, Claudia Oliveros, was penalized as well.

Also on the sanctions list was Mateo Duque Botero, a individual with Colombian and Spanish citizenship who the Treasury stated ran a firm accused of managing finances and payments for the network. "Over the past two years, US-based firms associated with Duque carried out multiple financial transactions, worth millions," the Treasury statement noted.

Citizen of Colombia Mónica Muñoz was the fourth individual to be sanctioned, with the entity she oversaw alleged to have money transfers associated with Duque and his operations.

"The United States again calls on foreign parties to cease providing financial and military support to the combatants," the Treasury announced.

Reaction

An expert, from a conflict think tank, described the sanctions as a "very significant" development, saying that "targeting the enablers is the correct approach".

It was also noted that, the Colombian government ratified a piece of legislation approving the global treaty against mercenarism, designed to limit decades of Colombian involvement in overseas wars and change its security approach.

Another expert, a authority on private military contractors, urged more caution, stating that "penalties are required yet incomplete for addressing rampant mercenarism".

"It operates in the black market and based out of Dubai, which is relatively sanction-proof," he said. The Emirati government has been widely accused of supplying weapons to the paramilitary group, allegations it disputes. "This trend will probably continue," he advised.