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The US government has levied restrictions on a group of four individuals and four companies accused of hiring Colombian mercenaries to fight for and train a militia force in Sudan that Washington accuses of committing genocide.

Network Composition

Announcing the measures on this week, the Treasury stated the scheme was largely composed of Colombian citizens and firms.

Scores of former Colombian military personnel have been recruited to go to the conflict in Sudan to operate with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a force implicated in severe violations including massacres based on ethnicity and large-scale abductions.

Discovery of Participation

The participation of ex-soldiers first came to light last year, after an report which found that over three hundred ex-military personnel had been contracted to participate in the war – an event that resulted in an rare mea culpa from the Colombian government.

Former Colombian military have historically been seen as among the world’s most sought-after mercenaries due to their considerable warzone knowledge resulting from years of internal conflict, knowledge of Western military gear, and elite military instruction.

Reported Actions

In the Sudanese theater, the mercenaries have reportedly trained minors, instructed militiamen in drone operation, and engaged in frontline combat. One source previously stated that instructing minors was "terrible and insane" but noted that "sadly, that is the nature of conflict".

Sanctioned Individuals

Among those targeted was a retired Colombian officer, a citizen of both Colombia and Italy and former army officer located in the Dubai. The US authorities said he had a key part in hiring and sending former Colombian soldiers to Sudan. His spouse, Claudia Viviana Oliveros Forero, was penalized as well.

Also on the restricted list was Mateo Duque Botero, a dual Colombian-Spanish citizen who officials alleged ran a firm linked to handling funds and payroll for the network. "Over the past two years, companies in the United States associated with Duque conducted numerous wire transfers, amounting to millions," the government release noted.

Citizen of Colombia Mónica Muñoz Ucros was the final person to be targeted, with the company she managed said to have conducted wire transfers connected to Duque and his companies.

"Washington reiterates its demand for outside forces to stop giving monetary and weaponry aid to the combatants," the agency announced.

Expert Analysis

A senior analyst, senior analyst at the International Crisis Group, labeled the actions as a "major" milestone, noting that "targeting the enablers is the correct approach".

Furthermore, Bogotá has enacted a piece of legislation ratifying the International Convention Against the Recruitment and Use of Mercenaries, seeking to reduce decades of Colombian involvement in overseas wars and change domestic defense strategy.

A mercenary specialist, an expert on mercenaries, called for greater wariness, noting that "penalties are required yet incomplete for dealing with the growing mercenary trade".

"It’s an illicit economy and based out of the UAE, which is difficult to penalize," he said. The Emirati government has been repeatedly implicated of arming the RSF, an accusation it has denied. "Expect more Colombian mercenaries," McFate warned.