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The Washington has enforced penalties on a operation of four people and four firms alleged of recruiting former Colombian soldiers to combat alongside and instruct a militia force in Sudan which the US alleges of genocidal acts.

Network Composition

Announcing the measures on this week, the US Treasury Department stated the operation was mostly comprised of Colombian nationals and companies.

Hundreds of ex-soldiers from Colombia have allegedly journeyed to the conflict in Sudan to operate with the RSF paramilitary group, a force linked to horrific war crimes including targeted ethnic killings and widespread kidnappings.

Revelation of Role

The involvement of Colombian fighters first came to light the previous year, following an investigation which found that hundreds of former soldiers had been hired to fight – an discovery that prompted an rare mea culpa from Colombia’s foreign ministry.

Colombian ex-soldiers have long been considered as among the world’s most sought-after mercenaries due to their considerable warzone knowledge gleaned from decades of civil war, familiarity with advanced weaponry, and elite military instruction.

Reported Actions

In the conflict, the contractors have been accused of teaching child soldiers, taught fighters to pilot drones, 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".

Sanctioned Individuals

Among those penalized was a dual national, a citizen of both Colombia and Italy and former army officer located in the UAE. The government accused him a central role in recruiting and deploying ex-military personnel to Sudan. His spouse, Claudia Oliveros, was also sanctioned.

Also on the restricted list was Mateo Andrés Duque Botero, a dual Colombian-Spanish citizen who authorities say ran a firm accused of managing finances and payments for the scheme. "Recently, companies in the United States connected to Duque carried out several money transfers, amounting to millions," the government release noted.

Citizen of Colombia Mónica Muñoz Ucros was the fourth individual to be sanctioned, with the entity she oversaw accused of financial transactions linked to Duque and his operations.

"The US once more urges foreign parties to stop giving funding and arms to the warring parties," the department announced.

Reaction

A senior analyst, with the International Crisis Group, called the sanctions as a "very significant" development, saying that "identifying the recruiters is the correct approach".

Furthermore, Bogotá recently passed a statute ratifying the International Convention Against the Recruitment and Use of Mercenaries, seeking to reduce its citizens' long history in international fights and transform its security approach.

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

"This is a shadow economy and centered in the UAE, which is largely insulated from sanctions," he commented. The UAE has been frequently alleged of supplying weapons to the paramilitary group, claims it rejects. "This trend will probably continue," McFate warned.