🔗 Share this article Washington Levies Restrictions on Operation Alleged of Channeling South American Fighters to the Sudanese Conflict. The US government has enforced penalties on a operation of several persons and entities charged of hiring South American contractors to fight for and train a militia force in Sudan which the US alleges of committing genocide. Network Composition Announcing the sanctions on this week, the American treasury stated the operation was mostly comprised of Colombian citizens and firms. Scores of ex-soldiers from Colombia have been recruited to go to the conflict in Sudan to fight alongside the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a group linked to terrible atrocities including ethnically targeted slaughter and widespread kidnappings. Discovery of Participation The involvement of Colombian fighters was first uncovered in 2024, following an investigation which revealed that over three hundred ex-military personnel had been recruited to fight – an revelation that led to an unusual statement of regret 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 a long-running domestic war, training on advanced weaponry, and high-level combat training. Activities in Sudan In the Sudanese theater, the contractors have been accused of teaching child soldiers, instructed militiamen in drone operation, and participated in direct battles. A mercenary was quoted as saying that training children was "awful and crazy" but added that "unfortunately that’s how war is". Targeted Persons Among those penalized was Álvaro Andrés Quijano Becerra, a dual Colombian-Italian national and former army officer located in the Dubai. The government accused him a pivotal function in enlisting and transporting mercenaries to Sudan. His wife, Claudia Viviana Oliveros Forero, was penalized as well. Also on the penalty list was Mateo Duque Botero, a individual with Colombian and Spanish citizenship who the Treasury stated oversaw a company accused of handling funds and payroll for the recruitment operation. "In 2024 and 2025, companies in the United States connected to Duque engaged in multiple financial transactions, worth millions," the government release stated. Individual Mónica Muñoz Ucros was the fourth individual to be penalized, with the entity she oversaw said to have conducted financial transactions connected to Duque and his companies. "Washington reiterates its demand for external actors to cease providing funding and arms to the belligerents," the agency announced. Analyst Commentary Elizabeth Dickinson, senior analyst at the International Crisis Group, called the actions as a "very significant" development, noting that "targeting the enablers is the proper strategy". Furthermore, Colombia has enacted a law ratifying the anti-mercenary convention, aiming to curb its citizens' long history in overseas wars and change its security approach. Sean McFate, an expert on mercenaries, called for greater wariness, noting that "penalties are required yet incomplete for combating rampant mercenarism". "It operates in the black market and centered in Dubai, which is relatively sanction-proof," he commented. The UAE has been frequently alleged of providing arms to the militia, claims it rejects. "This trend will probably continue," McFate warned.