🔗 Share this article Washington Levies Penalties on Operation Accused of Channeling South American Fighters to Sudan. The United States has imposed sanctions on a network of four individuals and four companies accused of hiring South American contractors to support and educate a armed faction in Sudan the United States claims of genocidal acts. Group Makeup Announcing the restrictions on this week, the American treasury stated the scheme was mostly comprised of Colombian nationals and companies. Numerous of ex-soldiers from Colombia have been recruited to go to Sudan to fight alongside the RSF paramilitary group, a force implicated in horrific war crimes encompassing targeted ethnic killings and widespread kidnappings. Emergence of Involvement The role of these mercenaries initially emerged the previous year, prompted by an report which found that hundreds of former soldiers had been contracted to participate in the war – an event that led to an unusual statement of regret from the Colombian government. Colombian ex-soldiers have widely regarded as highly prized fighters in conflict zones due to their considerable warzone knowledge gleaned from a long-running domestic war, familiarity with Western military gear, and elite military instruction. Role in the Conflict In the conflict, the mercenaries have been accused of teaching minors, provided drone warfare training, and participated in direct battles. A mercenary was quoted as saying that instructing minors was "horrific and irrational" but noted that "sadly, that is the nature of conflict". Named Entities Among those targeted was Álvaro Andrés Quijano Becerra, a citizen of both Colombia and Italy and retired Colombian military officer operating from the UAE. The Treasury accused him a pivotal function in hiring and sending mercenaries to Sudan. His spouse, Claudia Oliveros, was penalized as well. Also on the restricted list was Mateo Duque Botero, a individual with Colombian and Spanish citizenship who the Treasury stated ran a firm accused of handling funds and payroll for the recruitment operation. "In 2024 and 2025, US-based firms associated with Duque carried out multiple financial transactions, amounting to millions," the official announcement said. Citizen of Colombia Mónica Muñoz Ucros was the other individual to be sanctioned, with the firm she operated alleged to have money transfers linked to Duque and his operations. "The US once more urges external actors to halt the flow of funding and arms to the warring parties," the department said in a statement. Reaction A senior analyst, senior analyst at the International Crisis Group, called the measures as a "highly important" development, noting that "calling out those who are doing the contracting is the right way to go". It was also noted that, Colombia has enacted a law approving the International Convention Against the Recruitment and Use of Mercenaries, seeking to reduce years of participation by its nationals in international fights and change domestic defense strategy. Sean McFate, an expert on mercenaries, advised additional measures, saying that "restrictions are needed but not enough for addressing rampant mercenarism". "This is a shadow economy and operating from the UAE, which is relatively sanction-proof," he commented. The United Arab Emirates has been repeatedly implicated of arming the RSF, claims it rejects. "More contractors from Colombia are likely," McFate warned.