🔗 Share this article

The Washington has levied restrictions on a network of four people and four firms accused of hiring Colombian mercenaries to support and educate a militia force in Sudan the United States claims of genocidal acts.

Network Composition

Disclosing the measures on Tuesday, the American treasury stated the network was primarily made up of individuals and businesses from Colombia.

Scores of former Colombian military personnel have been recruited to go to Sudan to fight alongside the RSF paramilitary group, a force accused of severe violations encompassing targeted ethnic killings and mass abductions.

Revelation of Role

The participation of ex-soldiers was first uncovered the previous year, after an inquiry which revealed that more than 300 retired troops had been hired to participate in the war – an event that led to an unusual statement of regret from the Colombian government.

Colombian ex-soldiers have widely regarded as highly prized fighters in conflict zones due to their considerable warzone knowledge resulting from years of internal conflict, familiarity with advanced weaponry, and high-level combat training.

Role in the Conflict

In the Sudanese theater, the mercenaries have reportedly trained child soldiers, provided drone warfare training, and engaged in frontline combat. An individual involved remarked that training children was "horrific and irrational" but noted that "sadly, that is the nature of conflict".

Named Entities

Among those sanctioned was Álvaro Andrés Quijano Becerra, a individual with dual citizenship and former army officer operating from the UAE. The US authorities said he had a key part in recruiting and deploying former Colombian soldiers to Sudan. His wife, Claudia Viviana Oliveros Forero, was similarly targeted.

Also on the sanctions list was Duque Botero, a dual national who officials alleged oversaw a company implicated in managing finances and payments for the recruitment operation. "Over the past two years, American entities connected to Duque conducted multiple financial transactions, totalling millions of US dollars," the government release said.

Citizen of Colombia Mónica Muñoz was the final person to be sanctioned, with the company she managed said to have conducted financial transactions linked to Duque and his operations.

"The United States again calls on outside forces to stop giving monetary and weaponry aid to the warring parties," the Treasury stated.

Reaction

Elizabeth Dickinson, with the International Crisis Group, labeled the measures as a "major" milestone, noting that "targeting the enablers is the right way to go".

It was also noted that, Bogotá has enacted a law ratifying the global treaty against mercenarism, seeking to reduce years of participation by its nationals in foreign conflicts and transform its security approach.

A mercenary specialist, an expert on mercenaries, called for greater wariness, stating that "sanctions are necessary but insufficient for dealing with rampant mercenarism".

"This is a shadow economy and based out of the UAE, which is difficult to penalize," he stated. The United Arab Emirates has been widely accused of supplying weapons to the paramilitary group, allegations it disputes. "More contractors from Colombia are likely," McFate warned.