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The Washington has imposed sanctions on a operation of four individuals and four companies accused of hiring former Colombian soldiers to fight for and train a Sudanese paramilitary group which the US alleges of genocidal acts.

Operation Structure

Disclosing the measures on this week, the Treasury stated the operation was mostly comprised of individuals and businesses from Colombia.

Numerous of former Colombian military personnel have been recruited to go to Sudan to operate with the RSF paramilitary group, a group accused of severe violations encompassing targeted ethnic killings and mass abductions.

Discovery of Participation

The involvement of Colombian fighters first came to light last year, after an report which disclosed that hundreds of former soldiers had been contracted to participate in the war – an revelation that led to an unprecedented apology from officials in Bogotá.

Colombian ex-soldiers have long been considered as some of the most in-demand contractors globally due to their extensive battlefield experience acquired during a long-running domestic war, familiarity with Nato equipment, and high-level combat training.

Reported Actions

In the conflict, the mercenaries have reportedly trained child soldiers, instructed militiamen in drone operation, and engaged in frontline combat. An individual involved previously stated that instructing minors was "horrific and irrational" but noted that "sadly, that is the nature of conflict".

Targeted Persons

Among those penalized was a retired Colombian officer, a citizen of both Colombia and Italy and former army officer operating from the Dubai. The government accused him a key part in recruiting and deploying mercenaries to Sudan. His spouse, Claudia Viviana Oliveros Forero, was also sanctioned.

Also on the restricted list was Mateo Andrés Duque Botero, a individual with Colombian and Spanish citizenship who officials alleged managed a business linked to processing money and salaries for the scheme. "Recently, US-based firms linked to Duque engaged in several money transfers, amounting to millions," the government release said.

Colombian national Mónica Muñoz was the fourth individual to be sanctioned, with the entity she oversaw said to have conducted wire transfers associated with Duque and his companies.

"The US once more urges external actors to stop giving funding and arms to the belligerents," the department announced.

Reaction

An expert, senior analyst at the International Crisis Group, described the actions as a "major" development, noting that "identifying the recruiters is the correct approach".

She added that, Bogotá has enacted a law endorsing the global treaty against mercenarism, aiming to curb years of participation by its nationals in overseas wars and reshape national security policy.

Another expert, a authority on private military contractors, called for greater wariness, saying that "penalties are required yet incomplete for addressing widespread use of contractors".

"It operates in the black market and centered in the Emirates, which is relatively sanction-proof," he commented. The UAE has been frequently alleged of arming the RSF, an accusation it has denied. "This trend will probably continue," he advised.