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The US government has imposed sanctions on a operation of several persons and entities charged of hiring South American contractors to fight for and train a Sudanese paramilitary group that Washington accuses of genocidal acts.

Group Makeup

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

Numerous of former Colombian military personnel have allegedly journeyed to Sudan to operate with the RSF paramilitary group, a force accused of horrific war crimes encompassing targeted ethnic killings and mass abductions.

Discovery of Participation

The role of these mercenaries initially emerged last year, after an report which found that over three hundred ex-military personnel had been hired to fight – an discovery 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 years of internal conflict, training on advanced weaponry, and elite military instruction.

Activities in Sudan

In Sudan, the Colombians have been accused of teaching minors, instructed militiamen in drone operation, and participated in direct battles. A mercenary remarked that training children was "awful and crazy" but commented that "regrettably, war operates that way".

Sanctioned Individuals

Among those penalized was a retired Colombian officer, a individual with dual citizenship and ex-soldier located in the Dubai. The US authorities accused him a key part in hiring and sending former Colombian soldiers to Sudan. His wife, Claudia Viviana Oliveros Forero, was similarly targeted.

Also on the penalty list was Mateo Andrés Duque Botero, a dual national who the Treasury stated ran a firm implicated in handling funds and payroll for the recruitment operation. "Over the past two years, American entities connected to Duque carried out multiple financial transactions, amounting to millions," the official announcement noted.

Citizen of Colombia Mónica Muñoz Ucros was the final person to be sanctioned, with the entity she oversaw accused of financial transactions linked to Duque and his businesses.

"The US once more urges outside forces to halt the flow of financial and military support to the belligerents," the Treasury said in a statement.

Reaction

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

She added that, Bogotá ratified a piece of legislation ratifying the anti-mercenary convention, designed to limit its citizens' long history in foreign conflicts and change its security approach.

Another expert, a authority on private military contractors, urged more caution, saying that "penalties are required yet incomplete for addressing the growing mercenary trade".

"This is a shadow economy and operating from the Emirates, which is difficult to penalize," he stated. The UAE has been repeatedly implicated of supplying weapons to the paramilitary group, an accusation it has denied. "More contractors from Colombia are likely," he advised.