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The United States has levied restrictions on a operation of four people and four firms alleged of hiring Colombian mercenaries to combat alongside and instruct a Sudanese paramilitary group that Washington accuses of committing genocide.

Group Makeup

Announcing the measures on Tuesday, the US Treasury Department stated the network was primarily made up of individuals and businesses from Colombia.

Numerous of former Colombian military personnel have allegedly journeyed to Sudan to combat beside the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a force accused of terrible atrocities encompassing massacres based on ethnicity and mass abductions.

Discovery of Participation

The participation of ex-soldiers initially emerged the previous year, after an inquiry which found that more than 300 retired troops had been contracted to fight – an revelation that resulted in an rare mea culpa from Colombia’s foreign ministry.

These South American veterans have long been considered as highly prized fighters in conflict zones due to their considerable warzone knowledge resulting from decades of civil war, familiarity with Western military gear, and high-level combat training.

Activities in Sudan

In Sudan, the Colombians have reportedly trained underage fighters, provided drone warfare training, and participated in direct battles. An individual involved previously stated that working with child soldiers was "terrible and insane" but noted that "sadly, that is the nature of conflict".

Named Entities

Among those sanctioned was Álvaro Andrés Quijano Becerra, a citizen of both Colombia and Italy and retired Colombian military officer based in the Dubai. The government said he had a key part in recruiting and deploying ex-military personnel to Sudan. His spouse, Claudia Oliveros, was similarly targeted.

Also on the penalty list was Mateo Andrés Duque Botero, a dual Colombian-Spanish citizen who officials alleged ran a firm accused of handling funds and payroll for the recruitment operation. "Over the past two years, US-based firms associated with Duque engaged in several money transfers, totalling millions of US dollars," the official announcement said.

Individual Mónica Muñoz Ucros was the fourth individual to be sanctioned, with the firm she operated said to have conducted wire transfers linked to Duque and his companies.

"Washington reiterates its demand for outside forces to stop giving funding and arms to the belligerents," the Treasury stated.

Expert Analysis

A senior analyst, with the International Crisis Group, described the actions as a "major" step, stating that "identifying the recruiters is the proper strategy".

She added that, the Colombian government has enacted a statute approving the anti-mercenary convention, designed to limit years of participation by its nationals in overseas wars and transform its security approach.

A mercenary specialist, a authority on private military contractors, called for greater wariness, noting that "restrictions are needed but not enough for dealing with rampant mercenarism".

"It’s an illicit economy and operating from the Emirates, which is largely insulated from sanctions," he stated. The United Arab Emirates has been widely accused of supplying weapons to the paramilitary group, an accusation it has denied. "Expect more Colombian mercenaries," the expert cautioned.