🔗 Share this article

The Washington has enforced penalties on a network of four people and four firms charged of enlisting Colombian mercenaries to support and educate a militia force in Sudan the United States claims of committing genocide.

Network Composition

Announcing the measures on this week, the Treasury stated the operation was largely composed of Colombian citizens and firms.

Numerous of ex-soldiers from Colombia have been recruited to go to Sudan to fight alongside the Sudanese RSF militia, a force linked to horrific war crimes encompassing ethnically targeted slaughter and widespread kidnappings.

Emergence of Involvement

The role of these mercenaries initially emerged in 2024, following an investigation which disclosed that more than 300 ex-military personnel had been hired to participate in the war – an revelation that prompted an rare mea culpa from Colombia’s foreign ministry.

Colombian ex-soldiers have widely regarded as highly prized fighters in conflict zones due to their extensive battlefield experience gleaned from decades of civil war, training on Western military gear, and high-level combat training.

Activities in Sudan

In the Sudanese theater, the contractors have allegedly instructed child soldiers, provided drone warfare training, and participated in direct battles. An individual involved was quoted as saying that instructing minors was "terrible and insane" but added that "sadly, that is the nature of conflict".

Named Entities

Among those penalized was a dual national, a citizen of both Colombia and Italy and former army officer based in the UAE. The government said he had a central role in hiring and sending ex-military personnel to Sudan. His wife, Claudia Oliveros, was similarly targeted.

Also on the penalty list was Duque Botero, a dual Colombian-Spanish citizen who authorities say oversaw a company accused of handling funds and payroll for the network. "Over the past two years, American entities linked to Duque engaged in several money transfers, amounting to millions," the Treasury statement noted.

Individual Mónica Muñoz Ucros was the fourth individual to be sanctioned, with the entity she oversaw alleged to have money transfers linked to Duque and his businesses.

"Washington reiterates its demand for foreign parties to halt the flow of monetary and weaponry aid to the combatants," the Treasury said in a statement.

Expert Analysis

Elizabeth Dickinson, senior analyst at the International Crisis Group, labeled the actions as a "very significant" milestone, noting that "targeting the enablers is the right way to go".

Furthermore, Bogotá has enacted a statute approving the global treaty against mercenarism, seeking to reduce years of participation by its nationals in foreign conflicts and change national security policy.

Another expert, an expert on mercenaries, called for greater wariness, saying that "sanctions are necessary but insufficient for combating rampant mercenarism".

"It operates in the black market and centered in Dubai, which is largely insulated from sanctions," he stated. The United Arab Emirates has been repeatedly implicated of supplying weapons to the paramilitary group, claims it rejects. "More contractors from Colombia are likely," he advised.