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The US government has enforced penalties on a network of four individuals and four companies alleged of enlisting former Colombian soldiers to fight for and train a Sudanese paramilitary group the United States claims of acts of genocide.

Network Composition

Revealing the restrictions on Tuesday, the American treasury stated the scheme was primarily made up of Colombian citizens and firms.

Scores of ex-soldiers from Colombia have reportedly travelled to Sudan to operate with the RSF paramilitary group, a force accused of terrible atrocities such as targeted ethnic killings and mass abductions.

Revelation of Role

The role of these mercenaries first came to light last year, after an inquiry which revealed that more than 300 former soldiers had been contracted to participate in the war – an revelation that prompted an rare mea culpa from Colombia’s foreign ministry.

Former Colombian military have historically been seen as among the world’s most sought-after mercenaries due to their considerable warzone knowledge gleaned from decades of civil war, training on Western military gear, and elite military instruction.

Role in the Conflict

In Sudan, the mercenaries have reportedly trained minors, taught fighters to pilot drones, and participated in direct battles. A mercenary was quoted as saying that instructing minors was "awful and crazy" but noted that "unfortunately that’s how war is".

Named Entities

Among those penalized was a dual national, a individual with dual citizenship and ex-soldier based in the United Arab Emirates. The government accused him a pivotal function in recruiting and deploying ex-military personnel to Sudan. His wife, Claudia Oliveros, was similarly targeted.

Also on the restricted list was Mateo Andrés Duque Botero, a dual national who officials alleged ran a firm linked to managing finances and payments for the scheme. "Over the past two years, companies in the United States connected to Duque conducted multiple financial transactions, totalling millions of US dollars," the official announcement noted.

Colombian national Mónica Muñoz Ucros was the final person to be targeted, with the company she managed said to have conducted money transfers linked to Duque and his businesses.

"Washington reiterates its demand for external actors to cease providing monetary and weaponry aid to the warring parties," the Treasury stated.

Reaction

A senior analyst, senior analyst at the International Crisis Group, labeled the sanctions as a "highly important" step, noting that "identifying the recruiters is the correct approach".

She added that, Bogotá recently passed a piece of legislation endorsing the International Convention Against the Recruitment and Use of Mercenaries, seeking to reduce its citizens' long history in international fights and reshape domestic defense strategy.

A mercenary specialist, a authority on private military contractors, advised additional measures, noting that "restrictions are needed but not enough for addressing widespread use of contractors".

"It’s an illicit economy and based out of the UAE, which is difficult to penalize," he stated. The Emirati government has been frequently alleged of providing arms to the militia, claims it rejects. "This trend will probably continue," McFate warned.