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The US government has levied restrictions on a network of four people and four firms accused of hiring former Colombian soldiers to fight for and train a militia force in Sudan which the US alleges of committing genocide.

Operation Structure

Announcing the sanctions on Tuesday, the Treasury stated the scheme was mostly comprised of Colombian citizens and firms.

Numerous of retired Colombian troops have reportedly travelled to the conflict in Sudan to operate with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a faction accused of horrific war crimes such as massacres based on ethnicity and large-scale abductions.

Emergence of Involvement

The role of these mercenaries initially emerged last year, after an investigation which revealed that hundreds of former soldiers had been recruited to fight – an discovery that prompted an rare mea culpa from officials in Bogotá.

Colombian ex-soldiers have widely regarded as highly prized fighters in conflict zones due to their vast combat experience gleaned from decades of civil war, training on Western military gear, and high-level combat training.

Role in the Conflict

In the Sudanese theater, the contractors have reportedly trained underage fighters, provided drone warfare training, and fought directly on the frontlines. One source was quoted as saying that training children was "terrible and insane" but added that "sadly, that is the nature of conflict".

Sanctioned Individuals

Among those sanctioned was a retired Colombian officer, a citizen of both Colombia and Italy and ex-soldier based in the Dubai. The Treasury alleged he played a central role in enlisting and transporting ex-military personnel to Sudan. His wife, Claudia Oliveros, was penalized as well.

Also on the sanctions list was Duque Botero, a dual Colombian-Spanish citizen who the Treasury stated oversaw a company linked to managing finances and payments for the network. "Over the past two years, companies in the United States connected to Duque engaged in several money transfers, totalling millions of US dollars," the Treasury statement noted.

Citizen of Colombia Mónica Muñoz was the final person to be sanctioned, with the firm she operated accused of financial transactions connected to Duque and his companies.

"Washington reiterates its demand for foreign parties to halt the flow of funding and arms to the combatants," the Treasury said in a statement.

Expert Analysis

An expert, senior analyst at the International Crisis Group, called the measures as a "major" step, stating that "targeting the enablers is the right way to go".

Furthermore, Colombia has enacted a statute approving the anti-mercenary convention, designed to limit years of participation by its nationals in international fights and change national security policy.

A mercenary specialist, an expert on mercenaries, called for greater wariness, noting that "restrictions are needed but not enough for dealing with widespread use of contractors".

"It operates in the black market and operating from the UAE, which is largely insulated from sanctions," he stated. The UAE has been widely accused of supplying weapons to the paramilitary group, allegations it disputes. "Expect more Colombian mercenaries," McFate warned.