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The Washington has enforced penalties on a operation of several persons and entities charged of hiring South American contractors to combat alongside and instruct a Sudanese paramilitary group which the US alleges of committing genocide.

Group Makeup

Announcing the measures on Tuesday, the US Treasury Department stated the scheme was primarily made up of individuals and businesses from Colombia.

Hundreds of former Colombian military personnel have reportedly travelled to the conflict in Sudan to fight alongside the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a force linked to horrific war crimes encompassing massacres based on ethnicity and widespread kidnappings.

Emergence of Involvement

The participation of ex-soldiers initially emerged last year, after an investigation which revealed that more than 300 retired troops had been hired to participate in the war – an discovery that led to an unusual statement of regret from officials in Bogotá.

These South American veterans have long been considered as some of the most in-demand contractors globally due to their extensive battlefield experience acquired during a long-running domestic war, training on Nato equipment, and elite military instruction.

Reported Actions

In the conflict, the Colombians have reportedly trained underage fighters, instructed militiamen in drone operation, and engaged in frontline combat. One source previously stated that training children was "terrible and insane" but commented that "regrettably, war operates that way".

Targeted Persons

Among those targeted was Álvaro Andrés Quijano Becerra, a dual Colombian-Italian national and former army officer based in the Dubai. The US authorities alleged he played a key part in enlisting and transporting mercenaries to Sudan. His spouse, Claudia Oliveros, was similarly targeted.

Also on the restricted list was Mateo Andrés Duque Botero, a dual national who the Treasury stated managed a business accused of handling funds and payroll for the scheme. "Over the past two years, companies in the United States associated with Duque engaged in several money transfers, totalling millions of US dollars," the government release said.

Colombian national Mónica Muñoz was the other individual to be penalized, with the entity she oversaw said to have conducted wire transfers linked to Duque and his companies.

"The United States again calls on external actors to cease providing financial and military support to the belligerents," the department said in a statement.

Reaction

A senior analyst, from a conflict think tank, described the measures as a "very significant" development, noting that "targeting the enablers is the right way to go".

She added that, the Colombian government ratified a law ratifying the anti-mercenary convention, aiming to curb decades of Colombian involvement in overseas wars and reshape its security approach.

A mercenary specialist, a authority on private military contractors, advised additional measures, noting that "restrictions are needed but not enough for combating rampant mercenarism".

"It’s an illicit economy and operating from Dubai, which is largely insulated from sanctions," he stated. The UAE has been repeatedly implicated of providing arms to the militia, allegations it disputes. "Expect more Colombian mercenaries," McFate warned.