🔗 Share this article

The Washington has enforced penalties on a network of several persons and entities accused of hiring South American contractors to support and educate a Sudanese paramilitary group the United States claims of acts of genocide.

Network Composition

Announcing the measures on Tuesday, the Treasury stated the network was primarily made up of Colombian citizens and firms.

Scores of retired Colombian troops have allegedly journeyed to Sudan to combat beside the Sudanese RSF militia, a force accused of horrific war crimes including ethnically targeted slaughter and mass abductions.

Revelation of Role

The involvement of Colombian fighters first came to light the previous year, after an report which revealed that more than 300 ex-military personnel had been recruited to engage in combat – an discovery that prompted 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 extensive battlefield experience gleaned from years of internal conflict, training on Nato equipment, and elite military instruction.

Role in the Conflict

In Sudan, the contractors have been accused of teaching minors, provided drone warfare training, and participated in direct battles. An individual involved was quoted as saying that working with child soldiers was "horrific and irrational" but noted that "unfortunately that’s how war is".

Targeted Persons

Among those penalized was a retired Colombian officer, a citizen of both Colombia and Italy and former army officer located in the United Arab Emirates. The government accused him a pivotal function in recruiting and deploying mercenaries to Sudan. His wife, Claudia Oliveros, was similarly targeted.

Also on the restricted list was Mateo Andrés Duque Botero, a dual Colombian-Spanish citizen who officials alleged oversaw a company accused of handling funds and payroll for the scheme. "Over the past two years, American entities linked to Duque conducted numerous wire transfers, totalling millions of US dollars," the Treasury statement noted.

Individual Mónica Muñoz was the other individual to be penalized, with the company she managed said to have conducted financial transactions connected to Duque and his operations.

"Washington reiterates its demand for outside forces to cease providing funding and arms to the belligerents," the department stated.

Reaction

An expert, with the International Crisis Group, called the measures as a "major" development, stating that "calling out those who are doing the contracting is the correct approach".

Furthermore, Colombia recently passed a statute ratifying the anti-mercenary convention, seeking to reduce decades of Colombian involvement in overseas wars and reshape its security approach.

Another expert, an expert on mercenaries, called for greater wariness, noting that "penalties are required yet incomplete for addressing the growing mercenary trade".

"It operates in the black market and operating from the Emirates, which is largely insulated from sanctions," he said. The UAE has been widely accused of arming the RSF, an accusation it has denied. "This trend will probably continue," the expert cautioned.