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The United States has imposed sanctions on a network of several persons and entities alleged of hiring South American contractors to fight for and train a armed faction in Sudan that Washington accuses of genocidal acts.

Group Makeup

Announcing the restrictions on Tuesday, the American treasury stated the network was primarily made up of Colombian citizens and firms.

Numerous of former Colombian military personnel have allegedly journeyed to Sudan to operate with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a force accused of horrific war crimes encompassing ethnically targeted slaughter and mass abductions.

Discovery of Participation

The involvement of Colombian fighters was first uncovered the previous year, after an investigation which revealed that hundreds of ex-military personnel had been contracted to fight – an discovery that led to an unusual statement of regret from the Colombian government.

Former Colombian military have widely regarded as some of the most in-demand contractors globally due to their considerable warzone knowledge acquired during a long-running domestic war, training on advanced weaponry, and high-level combat training.

Activities in Sudan

In the conflict, the contractors have been accused of teaching child soldiers, taught fighters to pilot drones, and fought directly on the frontlines. An individual involved previously stated that training children was "horrific and irrational" but added that "unfortunately that’s how war is".

Sanctioned Individuals

Among those targeted 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 central role in hiring and sending former Colombian soldiers to Sudan. His wife, Claudia Viviana Oliveros Forero, was similarly targeted.

Also on the restricted list was Mateo Andrés Duque Botero, a dual national who officials alleged oversaw a company linked to managing finances and payments for the recruitment operation. "Over the past two years, American entities linked to Duque engaged in several money transfers, totalling millions of US dollars," the government release noted.

Individual Mónica Muñoz Ucros was the final person to be targeted, with the firm she operated said to have conducted money transfers connected to Duque and his businesses.

"The United States again calls on foreign parties to stop giving funding and arms to the combatants," the department said in a statement.

Reaction

An expert, from a conflict think tank, labeled the actions as a "highly important" step, stating that "targeting the enablers is the proper strategy".

She added that, Bogotá recently passed a piece of legislation approving the anti-mercenary convention, seeking to reduce years of participation by its nationals in overseas wars and change national security policy.

Another expert, an expert on mercenaries, called for greater wariness, saying that "restrictions are needed but not enough for combating the growing mercenary trade".

"This is a shadow economy and based out of the Emirates, which is largely insulated from sanctions," he stated. The Emirati government has been frequently alleged of supplying weapons to the paramilitary group, claims it rejects. "This trend will probably continue," he advised.