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The Washington has levied restrictions on a network of four individuals and four companies charged of hiring Colombian mercenaries to fight for and train a Sudanese paramilitary group that Washington accuses of genocidal acts.

Operation Structure

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

Scores of former Colombian military personnel have reportedly travelled to Sudan to operate with the RSF paramilitary group, a force accused of severe violations including targeted ethnic killings and widespread kidnappings.

Discovery of Participation

The role of these mercenaries initially emerged the previous year, following an inquiry which revealed that hundreds of ex-military personnel had been contracted to participate in the war – an event that resulted in an rare mea culpa from officials in Bogotá.

Former Colombian military have historically been seen as some of the most in-demand contractors globally due to their vast combat experience acquired during decades of civil war, knowledge of Nato equipment, and superior tactical education.

Reported Actions

In Sudan, the contractors have allegedly instructed minors, taught fighters to pilot drones, and engaged in frontline combat. One source previously stated that working with child soldiers was "horrific and irrational" but commented that "unfortunately that’s how war is".

Sanctioned Individuals

Among those sanctioned was a retired Colombian officer, a individual with dual citizenship and former army officer operating from the UAE. The US authorities alleged he played a central role in hiring and sending former Colombian soldiers to Sudan. His wife, Claudia Oliveros, was also sanctioned.

Also on the sanctions list was Mateo Andrés Duque Botero, a individual with Colombian and Spanish citizenship who authorities say ran a firm implicated in processing money and salaries for the scheme. "Recently, US-based firms associated with Duque conducted several money transfers, amounting to millions," the official announcement said.

Colombian national Mónica Muñoz Ucros was the fourth individual to be targeted, with the firm she operated alleged to have financial transactions linked to Duque and his operations.

"The United States again calls on outside forces to stop giving financial and military support to the belligerents," the Treasury said in a statement.

Expert Analysis

An expert, with the International Crisis Group, described the actions as a "very significant" step, saying that "calling out those who are doing the contracting is the right way to go".

She added that, Colombia recently passed a law endorsing the International Convention Against the Recruitment and Use of Mercenaries, seeking to reduce decades of Colombian involvement in overseas wars and change its security approach.

Sean McFate, a scholar on the subject, urged more caution, stating that "penalties are required yet incomplete for addressing widespread use of contractors".

"It’s an illicit economy and operating from the Emirates, which is largely insulated from sanctions," he said. The UAE has been widely accused of supplying weapons to the paramilitary group, claims it rejects. "This trend will probably continue," McFate warned.