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The United States has levied restrictions on a operation of four individuals and four companies accused of recruiting Colombian mercenaries to combat alongside and instruct a Sudanese paramilitary group which the US alleges of acts of genocide.

Group Makeup

Announcing the restrictions on Tuesday, the US Treasury Department stated the operation was largely composed of individuals and businesses from Colombia.

Numerous of retired Colombian troops have been recruited to go to Sudan to fight alongside the Sudanese RSF militia, a group implicated in severe violations such as massacres based on ethnicity and widespread kidnappings.

Emergence of Involvement

The involvement of Colombian fighters was first uncovered the previous year, after an report which revealed that more than 300 ex-military personnel had been recruited to engage in combat – an event that resulted in an unusual statement of regret from officials in Bogotá.

These South American veterans have historically been seen as highly prized fighters in conflict zones due to their considerable warzone knowledge resulting from decades of civil war, training on Western military gear, and high-level combat training.

Reported Actions

In the Sudanese theater, the mercenaries have reportedly trained underage fighters, provided drone warfare training, and fought directly on the frontlines. A mercenary was quoted as saying that training children was "terrible and insane" but added that "regrettably, war operates that way".

Targeted Persons

Among those penalized was Álvaro Andrés Quijano Becerra, a dual Colombian-Italian national and retired Colombian military officer based in the United Arab Emirates. The government alleged he played a central role in hiring and sending mercenaries to Sudan. His wife, Claudia Oliveros, was also sanctioned.

Also on the penalty list was Mateo Duque Botero, a dual Colombian-Spanish citizen who the Treasury stated ran a firm accused of processing money and salaries for the network. "Over the past two years, companies in the United States linked to Duque engaged in numerous wire transfers, totalling millions of US dollars," the Treasury statement noted.

Individual Mónica Muñoz Ucros was the fourth individual to be targeted, with the firm she operated said to have conducted financial transactions connected to Duque and his companies.

"The United States again calls on external actors to cease providing funding and arms to the belligerents," the agency stated.

Expert Analysis

An expert, with the International Crisis Group, described the measures as a "major" step, stating that "identifying the recruiters is the proper strategy".

She added that, the Colombian government recently passed a piece of legislation approving the anti-mercenary convention, aiming to curb decades of Colombian involvement in overseas wars and reshape national security policy.

Sean McFate, an expert on mercenaries, urged more caution, saying that "sanctions are necessary but insufficient for dealing with rampant mercenarism".

"It’s an illicit economy and centered in the Emirates, which is largely insulated from sanctions," he said. The United Arab Emirates has been repeatedly implicated of arming the RSF, allegations it disputes. "More contractors from Colombia are likely," the expert cautioned.