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The US government has imposed sanctions on a group of four individuals and four companies accused of enlisting former Colombian soldiers to support and educate a militia force in Sudan which the US alleges of genocidal acts.

Group Makeup

Disclosing the measures on Tuesday, the US Treasury Department stated the scheme was mostly comprised of individuals and businesses from Colombia.

Scores of ex-soldiers from Colombia have reportedly travelled to the conflict in Sudan to fight alongside the Sudanese RSF militia, a force accused of terrible atrocities including massacres based on ethnicity and mass abductions.

Emergence of Involvement

The involvement of Colombian fighters first came to light the previous year, after an report which found that hundreds of ex-military personnel had been contracted to participate in the war – an event that resulted in an unprecedented apology from Colombia’s foreign ministry.

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

Reported Actions

In the conflict, the contractors have allegedly instructed minors, instructed militiamen in drone operation, and engaged in frontline combat. One source was quoted as saying that training children was "awful and crazy" but noted that "sadly, that is the nature of conflict".

Named Entities

Among those targeted was a retired Colombian officer, a dual Colombian-Italian national and retired Colombian military officer located in the United Arab Emirates. The US authorities accused him a central role in hiring and sending former Colombian soldiers to Sudan. His spouse, Claudia Oliveros, was also sanctioned.

Also on the restricted list was Mateo Andrés Duque Botero, a dual Colombian-Spanish citizen who the Treasury stated managed a business accused of managing finances and payments for the network. "Recently, companies in the United States connected to Duque engaged in several money transfers, worth millions," the official announcement noted.

Individual Mónica Muñoz Ucros was the other individual to be targeted, with the entity she oversaw accused of wire transfers linked to Duque and his businesses.

"The United States again calls on external actors to halt the flow of funding and arms to the belligerents," the department announced.

Expert Analysis

An expert, senior analyst at the International Crisis Group, described the actions as a "highly important" step, noting that "targeting the enablers is the correct approach".

Furthermore, the Colombian government ratified a law endorsing the global treaty against mercenarism, seeking to reduce its citizens' long history in overseas wars and change domestic defense strategy.

Another expert, a authority on private military contractors, advised additional measures, saying that "penalties are required yet incomplete for dealing with widespread use of contractors".

"It operates in the black market and operating from the Emirates, which is relatively sanction-proof," he stated. The Emirati government has been repeatedly implicated of arming the RSF, allegations it disputes. "This trend will probably continue," the expert cautioned.