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The US government has levied restrictions on a network of four individuals and four companies alleged of recruiting former Colombian soldiers to fight for and train a Sudanese paramilitary group that Washington accuses of committing genocide.

Network Composition

Disclosing the measures on Tuesday, the American treasury stated the operation was mostly comprised of Colombian citizens and firms.

Numerous of retired Colombian troops have reportedly travelled to the Sudanese warzone to combat beside the Sudanese RSF militia, a faction implicated in severe violations such as ethnically targeted slaughter and mass abductions.

Revelation of Role

The participation of ex-soldiers was first uncovered last year, after an inquiry which found that over three hundred ex-military personnel had been hired to fight – an event that resulted in an unprecedented apology from officials in Bogotá.

These South American veterans have long been considered as some of the most in-demand contractors globally due to their considerable warzone knowledge acquired during years of internal conflict, training on Western military gear, and elite military instruction.

Role in the Conflict

In the conflict, the Colombians have allegedly instructed child soldiers, taught fighters to pilot drones, and fought directly on the frontlines. An individual involved previously stated that instructing minors was "horrific and irrational" but added that "unfortunately that’s how war is".

Sanctioned Individuals

Among those sanctioned was a retired Colombian officer, a individual with dual citizenship and ex-soldier based in the United Arab Emirates. The Treasury said he had a key part in recruiting and deploying mercenaries to Sudan. His spouse, Claudia Viviana Oliveros Forero, was penalized as well.

Also on the penalty list was Duque Botero, a individual with Colombian and Spanish citizenship who the Treasury stated ran a firm accused of handling funds and payroll for the scheme. "Over the past two years, companies in the United States connected to Duque engaged in numerous wire transfers, amounting to millions," the government release said.

Citizen of Colombia Mónica Muñoz Ucros was the fourth individual to be targeted, with the company she managed accused of wire transfers connected to Duque and his operations.

"Washington reiterates its demand for external actors to stop giving funding and arms to the warring parties," the Treasury said in a statement.

Expert Analysis

An expert, senior analyst at the International Crisis Group, described the measures as a "highly important" milestone, saying that "targeting the enablers is the proper strategy".

Furthermore, Colombia recently passed a statute endorsing the International Convention Against the Recruitment and Use of Mercenaries, aiming to curb decades of Colombian involvement in overseas wars and reshape national security policy.

Another expert, a scholar on the subject, called for greater wariness, saying that "sanctions are necessary but insufficient for dealing with widespread use of contractors".

"This is a shadow economy and based out of the UAE, which is relatively sanction-proof," he commented. The Emirati government has been widely accused of providing arms to the militia, an accusation it has denied. "More contractors from Colombia are likely," McFate warned.