United States Enforces Sanctions on Network Alleged of Channeling South American Fighters to the Sudanese Conflict.

The US government has levied restrictions on a group of four people and four firms charged of hiring South American contractors to fight for and train a militia force in Sudan that Washington accuses of genocidal acts.

Operation Structure

Disclosing the sanctions on Tuesday, the US Treasury Department stated the network was primarily made up of Colombian nationals and companies.

Scores of ex-soldiers from Colombia have reportedly travelled to the conflict in Sudan to fight alongside the Sudanese RSF militia, a force implicated in severe violations encompassing targeted ethnic killings and large-scale abductions.

Revelation of Role

The role of these mercenaries was first uncovered in 2024, following an report which disclosed that more than 300 retired troops had been contracted to participate in the war – an discovery that resulted in an rare mea culpa from Colombia’s foreign ministry.

Colombian ex-soldiers have historically been seen as some of the most in-demand contractors globally due to their considerable warzone knowledge resulting from a long-running domestic war, familiarity with Western military gear, and high-level combat training.

Reported Actions

In the conflict, the mercenaries have reportedly trained minors, taught fighters to pilot drones, and participated in direct battles. An individual involved remarked that instructing minors was "horrific and irrational" but commented that "sadly, that is the nature of conflict".

Named Entities

Among those sanctioned was Álvaro Andrés Quijano Becerra, a individual with dual citizenship and retired Colombian military officer located in the UAE. The US authorities said he had a key part in recruiting and deploying mercenaries to Sudan. His spouse, Claudia Oliveros, was similarly targeted.

Also on the penalty list was Mateo Andrés Duque Botero, a individual with Colombian and Spanish citizenship who officials alleged oversaw a company implicated in processing money and salaries for the scheme. "Over the past two years, companies in the United States linked to Duque engaged in multiple financial transactions, amounting to millions," the official announcement stated.

Colombian national Mónica Muñoz Ucros was the final person to be sanctioned, with the firm she operated said to have conducted wire transfers connected to Duque and his companies.

"Washington reiterates its demand for external actors to stop giving financial and military support to the warring parties," the agency said in a statement.

Expert Analysis

A senior analyst, with the International Crisis Group, labeled the sanctions as a "very significant" development, saying that "identifying the recruiters is the correct approach".

Furthermore, Colombia ratified a law approving the International Convention Against the Recruitment and Use of Mercenaries, designed to limit years of participation by its nationals in foreign conflicts and change its security approach.

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

"It’s an illicit economy and based out of Dubai, which is largely insulated from sanctions," he said. The UAE has been widely accused of supplying weapons to the paramilitary group, allegations it disputes. "Expect more Colombian mercenaries," the expert cautioned.