🔗 Share this article

The United States has imposed sanctions on a group of four people and four firms accused of recruiting Colombian mercenaries to fight for and train a armed faction in Sudan the United States claims of committing genocide.

Operation Structure

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

Numerous of retired Colombian troops have reportedly travelled to Sudan to combat beside the Sudanese RSF militia, a group implicated in terrible atrocities such as ethnically targeted slaughter and large-scale abductions.

Discovery of Participation

The participation of ex-soldiers first came to light the previous year, following an investigation which disclosed that hundreds of former soldiers had been recruited to engage in combat – an discovery that prompted an unusual statement of regret from officials in Bogotá.

Colombian ex-soldiers have long been considered as among the world’s most sought-after mercenaries due to their extensive battlefield experience acquired during a long-running domestic war, familiarity with Nato equipment, and high-level combat training.

Activities in Sudan

In the Sudanese theater, the mercenaries have allegedly instructed child soldiers, provided drone warfare training, and participated in direct battles. One source previously stated that instructing minors was "awful and crazy" but commented that "unfortunately that’s how war is".

Sanctioned Individuals

Among those penalized was a retired Colombian officer, a citizen of both Colombia and Italy and former army officer based in the United Arab Emirates. The US authorities said he had a central role in recruiting and deploying mercenaries to Sudan. His spouse, Claudia Oliveros, was also sanctioned.

Also on the restricted list was Mateo Duque Botero, a individual with Colombian and Spanish citizenship who officials alleged ran a firm linked to processing money and salaries for the recruitment operation. "Over the past two years, US-based firms linked to Duque conducted several money transfers, worth millions," the official announcement noted.

Colombian national Mónica Muñoz Ucros was the other individual to be sanctioned, with the company she managed alleged to have wire transfers linked to Duque and his companies.

"The US once more urges outside forces to stop giving monetary and weaponry aid to the belligerents," the agency announced.

Expert Analysis

An expert, with the International Crisis Group, described the actions as a "major" development, saying that "calling out those who are doing the contracting is the correct approach".

Furthermore, Colombia recently passed a piece of legislation endorsing the International Convention Against the Recruitment and Use of Mercenaries, designed to limit decades of Colombian involvement in international fights and change national security policy.

A mercenary specialist, a authority on private military contractors, called for greater wariness, noting that "penalties are required yet incomplete for addressing widespread use of contractors".

"It’s an illicit economy and centered in Dubai, which is difficult to penalize," he said. The UAE has been widely accused of providing arms to the militia, an accusation it has denied. "This trend will probably continue," McFate warned.