🔗 Share this article

The United States has levied restrictions on a operation of several persons and entities alleged of recruiting South American contractors to support and educate a militia force in Sudan the United States claims of genocidal acts.

Operation Structure

Revealing the sanctions on this week, the Treasury stated the scheme was primarily made up of Colombian nationals and companies.

Scores of retired Colombian troops have reportedly travelled to the Sudanese warzone to combat beside the Sudanese RSF militia, a faction implicated in terrible atrocities including massacres based on ethnicity and large-scale abductions.

Emergence of Involvement

The role of these mercenaries was first uncovered the previous year, following an inquiry which revealed that more than 300 retired troops had been hired to participate in the war – an event that prompted an unprecedented apology from officials in Bogotá.

Former Colombian military have widely regarded as some of the most in-demand contractors globally due to their considerable warzone knowledge resulting from years of internal conflict, familiarity with Western military gear, and elite military instruction.

Role in the Conflict

In Sudan, the mercenaries have allegedly instructed underage fighters, taught fighters to pilot drones, and fought directly on the frontlines. A mercenary previously stated that training children was "horrific and irrational" but commented that "regrettably, war operates that way".

Named Entities

Among those penalized was Álvaro Andrés Quijano Becerra, a dual Colombian-Italian national and ex-soldier based in the UAE. The Treasury accused him a central role in enlisting and transporting ex-military personnel to Sudan. His wife, Claudia Oliveros, was penalized as well.

Also on the penalty list was Mateo Duque Botero, a dual national who authorities say managed a business implicated in managing finances and payments for the scheme. "Over the past two years, American entities linked to Duque conducted multiple financial transactions, worth millions," the government release stated.

Individual Mónica Muñoz Ucros was the other individual to be sanctioned, with the company she managed accused of wire transfers linked to Duque and his operations.

"The United States again calls on foreign parties to halt the flow of financial and military support to the combatants," the Treasury stated.

Analyst Commentary

Elizabeth Dickinson, with the International Crisis Group, called the sanctions as a "major" step, saying that "calling out those who are doing the contracting is the proper strategy".

It was also noted that, Colombia recently passed a law ratifying the International Convention Against the Recruitment and Use of Mercenaries, seeking to reduce its citizens' long history in foreign conflicts and reshape its security approach.

A mercenary specialist, a scholar on the subject, called for greater wariness, saying that "restrictions are needed but not enough for dealing with the growing mercenary trade".

"It operates in the black market and operating from the UAE, which is largely insulated from sanctions," he stated. The United Arab Emirates has been frequently alleged of supplying weapons to the paramilitary group, an accusation it has denied. "More contractors from Colombia are likely," the expert cautioned.