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The United States has imposed sanctions on a network of four people and four firms alleged of hiring South American contractors to combat alongside and instruct a armed faction in Sudan that Washington accuses of acts of genocide.

Group Makeup

Revealing the measures on Tuesday, the US Treasury Department stated the network was mostly comprised of Colombian nationals and companies.

Hundreds of ex-soldiers from Colombia have reportedly travelled to the conflict in Sudan to fight alongside the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a force implicated in severe violations including massacres based on ethnicity and mass abductions.

Emergence of Involvement

The involvement of Colombian fighters was first uncovered last year, prompted by an inquiry which disclosed that hundreds of former soldiers had been contracted to fight – an event that led to an rare mea culpa from the Colombian government.

Colombian ex-soldiers have historically been seen as among the world’s most sought-after mercenaries due to their vast combat experience gleaned from decades of civil war, knowledge of Nato equipment, and elite military instruction.

Reported Actions

In the conflict, the Colombians have been accused of teaching minors, provided drone warfare training, and engaged in frontline combat. A mercenary previously stated that working with child soldiers was "awful and crazy" but commented that "unfortunately that’s how war is".

Targeted Persons

Among those targeted was Álvaro Andrés Quijano Becerra, a dual Colombian-Italian national and retired Colombian military officer based in the United Arab Emirates. The government said he had a pivotal function in enlisting and transporting former Colombian soldiers to Sudan. His wife, Claudia Oliveros, was also sanctioned.

Also on the restricted list was Mateo Andrés Duque Botero, a individual with Colombian and Spanish citizenship who officials alleged oversaw a company linked to managing finances and payments for the scheme. "Over the past two years, US-based firms associated with Duque carried out multiple financial transactions, worth millions," the government release said.

Colombian national Mónica Muñoz was the other individual to be penalized, with the firm she operated accused of money transfers linked to Duque and his companies.

"Washington reiterates its demand for foreign parties to stop giving funding and arms to the belligerents," the agency stated.

Reaction

An expert, from a conflict think tank, labeled the measures as a "very significant" milestone, saying that "calling out those who are doing the contracting is the right way to go".

She added that, the Colombian government ratified a law approving the anti-mercenary convention, aiming to curb decades of Colombian involvement in foreign conflicts and change its security approach.

A mercenary specialist, an expert on mercenaries, urged more caution, noting that "restrictions are needed but not enough for dealing with widespread use of contractors".

"It operates in the black market and operating from the Emirates, which is largely insulated from sanctions," he said. The Emirati government has been repeatedly implicated of arming the RSF, claims it rejects. "This trend will probably continue," McFate warned.