🔗 Share this article

The US government has enforced penalties on a group of four individuals and four companies alleged of hiring former Colombian soldiers to fight for and train a Sudanese paramilitary group which the US alleges of committing genocide.

Group Makeup

Disclosing the measures on Tuesday, the American treasury stated the scheme was primarily made up of Colombian citizens and firms.

Numerous of former Colombian military personnel have allegedly journeyed to the conflict in Sudan to combat beside the Sudanese RSF militia, a faction implicated in horrific war crimes such as ethnically targeted slaughter and widespread kidnappings.

Discovery of Participation

The involvement of Colombian fighters was first uncovered last year, prompted by an inquiry which revealed that hundreds of ex-military personnel had been contracted to fight – an event that prompted an unusual statement of regret from the Colombian government.

These South American veterans have long been considered as among the world’s most sought-after mercenaries due to their extensive battlefield experience gleaned from a long-running domestic war, training on Western military gear, and high-level combat training.

Reported Actions

In the Sudanese theater, the Colombians have been accused of teaching underage fighters, taught fighters to pilot drones, and fought directly on the frontlines. An individual involved remarked that training children was "horrific and irrational" but commented that "unfortunately that’s how war is".

Named Entities

Among those targeted was a retired Colombian officer, a dual Colombian-Italian national and retired Colombian military officer operating from the Dubai. The government alleged he played a key part in hiring and sending ex-military personnel to Sudan. His spouse, Claudia Oliveros, was similarly targeted.

Also on the penalty list was Duque Botero, a dual national who the Treasury stated managed a business linked to managing finances and payments for the scheme. "Recently, US-based firms connected to Duque conducted numerous wire transfers, amounting to millions," the official announcement noted.

Individual Mónica Muñoz Ucros was the final person to be sanctioned, with the entity she oversaw accused of wire transfers linked to Duque and his companies.

"The US once more urges external actors to halt the flow of financial and military support to the belligerents," the department announced.

Analyst Commentary

Elizabeth Dickinson, from a conflict think tank, labeled the sanctions as a "major" step, saying that "calling out those who are doing the contracting is the correct approach".

She added that, Bogotá recently passed a law approving the International Convention Against the Recruitment and Use of Mercenaries, seeking to reduce decades of Colombian involvement in international fights and transform its security approach.

A mercenary specialist, a scholar on the subject, called for greater wariness, saying that "restrictions are needed but not enough for combating the growing mercenary trade".

"It operates in the black market and based out of the UAE, which is largely insulated from sanctions," he said. The United Arab Emirates has been repeatedly implicated of providing arms to the militia, allegations it disputes. "More contractors from Colombia are likely," McFate warned.