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The US government has levied restrictions on a operation of four individuals and four companies accused of recruiting South American contractors to combat alongside and instruct a Sudanese paramilitary group that Washington accuses of genocidal acts.

Group Makeup

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

Hundreds of ex-soldiers from Colombia have reportedly travelled to the Sudanese warzone to operate with the Sudanese RSF militia, a faction accused of severe violations such as ethnically targeted slaughter and large-scale abductions.

Revelation of Role

The role of these mercenaries was first uncovered the previous year, following an inquiry which disclosed that over three hundred ex-military personnel had been hired to fight – an discovery that resulted in an rare mea culpa from officials in Bogotá.

Colombian ex-soldiers have widely regarded as some of the most in-demand contractors globally due to their considerable warzone knowledge resulting from years of internal conflict, familiarity with advanced weaponry, and elite military instruction.

Role in the Conflict

In Sudan, the Colombians have reportedly trained child soldiers, provided drone warfare training, and engaged in frontline combat. An individual involved was quoted as saying that training children was "awful and crazy" but noted that "unfortunately that’s how war is".

Sanctioned Individuals

Among those sanctioned was a retired Colombian officer, a individual with dual citizenship and retired Colombian military officer based in the Dubai. The US authorities alleged he played a pivotal function in hiring and sending ex-military personnel to Sudan. His spouse, Claudia Oliveros, was penalized as well.

Also on the sanctions list was Mateo Duque Botero, a individual with Colombian and Spanish citizenship who the Treasury stated oversaw a company implicated in handling funds and payroll for the scheme. "Recently, companies in the United States associated with Duque conducted several money transfers, totalling millions of US dollars," the official announcement noted.

Colombian national Mónica Muñoz Ucros was the fourth individual to be sanctioned, with the firm she operated alleged to have wire transfers linked to Duque and his businesses.

"Washington reiterates its demand for external actors to halt the flow of monetary and weaponry aid to the belligerents," the agency stated.

Reaction

Elizabeth Dickinson, with the International Crisis Group, labeled the sanctions as a "major" step, noting that "targeting the enablers is the correct approach".

Furthermore, Bogotá ratified a piece of legislation endorsing the anti-mercenary convention, aiming to curb years of participation by its nationals in overseas wars and transform domestic defense strategy.

Sean McFate, an expert on mercenaries, advised additional measures, saying that "sanctions are necessary but insufficient for combating rampant mercenarism".

"This is a shadow economy and centered in Dubai, which is relatively sanction-proof," he stated. The United Arab Emirates has been repeatedly implicated of supplying weapons to the paramilitary group, allegations it disputes. "This trend will probably continue," he advised.