🔗 Share this article

The United States has imposed sanctions on a group of four individuals and four companies alleged of enlisting former Colombian soldiers to fight for and train a armed faction in Sudan which the US alleges of genocidal acts.

Group Makeup

Revealing the restrictions on this week, the Treasury stated the network was mostly comprised of individuals and businesses from Colombia.

Numerous of retired Colombian troops have been recruited to go to Sudan to fight alongside the RSF paramilitary group, a force accused of severe violations such as targeted ethnic killings and widespread kidnappings.

Emergence of Involvement

The role of these mercenaries initially emerged in 2024, after an inquiry which found that hundreds of retired troops had been recruited to fight – an event that led to an rare mea culpa from Colombia’s foreign ministry.

These South American veterans have widely regarded as highly prized fighters in conflict zones due to their extensive battlefield experience gleaned from decades of civil war, familiarity with advanced weaponry, and superior tactical education.

Role in the Conflict

In the conflict, the Colombians have allegedly instructed child soldiers, provided drone warfare training, and fought directly on the frontlines. One source remarked that training children was "awful and crazy" but noted that "unfortunately that’s how war is".

Sanctioned Individuals

Among those sanctioned was a dual national, a citizen of both Colombia and Italy and retired Colombian military officer based in the Dubai. The government said he had a key part in recruiting and deploying former Colombian soldiers to Sudan. His wife, Claudia Oliveros, was penalized as well.

Also on the restricted list was Mateo Duque Botero, a dual national who the Treasury stated oversaw a company implicated in managing finances and payments for the recruitment operation. "Over the past two years, companies in the United States linked to Duque conducted numerous wire transfers, amounting to millions," the Treasury statement stated.

Citizen of Colombia Mónica Muñoz Ucros was the final person to be sanctioned, with the entity she oversaw said to have conducted wire transfers connected to Duque and his operations.

"Washington reiterates its demand for external actors to cease providing financial and military support to the warring parties," the department announced.

Analyst Commentary

A senior analyst, with the International Crisis Group, called the actions as a "major" development, noting that "identifying the recruiters is the right way to go".

It was also noted that, Colombia has enacted a statute ratifying the International Convention Against the Recruitment and Use of Mercenaries, designed to limit its citizens' long history in international fights and change domestic defense strategy.

Another expert, a scholar on the subject, advised additional measures, saying that "sanctions are necessary but insufficient for dealing with rampant mercenarism".

"This is a shadow economy and based out of the UAE, which is difficult to penalize," he commented. The Emirati government has been widely accused of providing arms to the militia, an accusation it has denied. "This trend will probably continue," McFate warned.