🔗 Share this article

The Washington has levied restrictions on a network of four individuals and four companies alleged of hiring former Colombian soldiers to support and educate a Sudanese paramilitary group which the US alleges of committing genocide.

Group Makeup

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

Hundreds of former Colombian military personnel have allegedly journeyed to the Sudanese warzone to operate with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a faction implicated in terrible atrocities encompassing ethnically targeted slaughter and mass abductions.

Emergence of Involvement

The involvement of Colombian fighters initially emerged the previous year, after an report which found that hundreds of ex-military personnel had been contracted to fight – an discovery that led to an unprecedented apology from Colombia’s foreign ministry.

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, familiarity with Nato equipment, and superior tactical education.

Reported Actions

In Sudan, the contractors have been accused of teaching minors, instructed militiamen in drone operation, and participated in direct battles. One source previously stated that training children was "terrible and insane" but added that "sadly, that is the nature of conflict".

Named Entities

Among those penalized was Álvaro Andrés Quijano Becerra, a individual with dual citizenship and former army officer based in the UAE. The government accused him a central role in hiring and sending mercenaries to Sudan. His spouse, Claudia Oliveros, was penalized as well.

Also on the sanctions list was Duque Botero, a dual Colombian-Spanish citizen who authorities say oversaw a company accused of handling funds and payroll for the network. "Recently, US-based firms connected to Duque carried out multiple financial transactions, worth millions," the government release said.

Citizen of Colombia Mónica Muñoz was the fourth individual to be sanctioned, with the firm she operated said to have conducted wire transfers associated with Duque and his businesses.

"The United States again calls on external actors to halt the flow of financial and military support to the warring parties," the Treasury announced.

Analyst Commentary

Elizabeth Dickinson, with the International Crisis Group, labeled the sanctions as a "very significant" development, noting that "calling out those who are doing the contracting is the proper strategy".

She added that, Bogotá ratified a statute endorsing the global treaty against mercenarism, aiming to curb years of participation by its nationals in overseas wars and change domestic defense strategy.

Another expert, an expert on mercenaries, urged more caution, saying that "restrictions are needed but not enough for combating rampant mercenarism".

"It’s an illicit economy and based out of the Emirates, which is relatively sanction-proof," he said. The United Arab Emirates has been repeatedly implicated of supplying weapons to the paramilitary group, allegations it disputes. "This trend will probably continue," he advised.