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The Washington has enforced penalties on a group of four individuals and four companies alleged of hiring South American contractors to combat alongside and instruct a armed faction in Sudan that Washington accuses of acts of genocide.

Group Makeup

Announcing the sanctions on Tuesday, the Treasury stated the operation was primarily made up of individuals and businesses from Colombia.

Numerous of ex-soldiers from Colombia have been recruited to go to the conflict in Sudan to fight alongside the RSF paramilitary group, a faction linked to terrible atrocities including targeted ethnic killings and large-scale abductions.

Emergence of Involvement

The participation of ex-soldiers initially emerged last year, following an report which revealed that more than 300 former soldiers had been hired to fight – an event that prompted an rare mea culpa from officials in Bogotá.

Colombian ex-soldiers have long been considered as among the world’s most sought-after mercenaries due to their considerable warzone knowledge resulting from a long-running domestic war, knowledge of Western military gear, and superior tactical education.

Activities in Sudan

In Sudan, the Colombians have reportedly trained child soldiers, taught fighters to pilot drones, and engaged in frontline combat. One source was quoted as saying that training children was "horrific and irrational" but noted that "regrettably, war operates that way".

Named Entities

Among those sanctioned was a retired Colombian officer, a citizen of both Colombia and Italy and former army officer operating from the UAE. The US authorities accused him a key part in recruiting and deploying mercenaries to Sudan. His spouse, Claudia Oliveros, was similarly targeted.

Also on the restricted list was Duque Botero, a dual national who the Treasury stated managed a business accused of processing money and salaries for the scheme. "Recently, US-based firms linked to Duque engaged in several money transfers, amounting to millions," the official announcement stated.

Colombian national Mónica Muñoz was the fourth individual to be penalized, with the firm she operated said to have conducted money transfers connected to Duque and his operations.

"The US once more urges foreign parties to cease providing funding and arms to the combatants," the Treasury stated.

Expert Analysis

Elizabeth Dickinson, from a conflict think tank, called the measures as a "very significant" step, stating that "identifying the recruiters is the right way to go".

It was also noted that, Colombia ratified a piece of legislation approving the anti-mercenary convention, designed to limit years of participation by its nationals in international fights and transform national security policy.

Another expert, a scholar on the subject, advised additional measures, noting that "penalties are required yet incomplete for addressing rampant mercenarism".

"This is a shadow economy and operating from the UAE, which is difficult to penalize," he said. The Emirati government has been widely accused of supplying weapons to the paramilitary group, claims it rejects. "More contractors from Colombia are likely," McFate warned.