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The United States has imposed sanctions on a group of four individuals and four companies charged of recruiting Colombian mercenaries to fight for and train a armed faction in Sudan the United States claims of acts of genocide.

Group Makeup

Revealing the restrictions on Tuesday, the US Treasury Department stated the scheme was mostly comprised of Colombian nationals and companies.

Numerous of ex-soldiers from Colombia have been recruited to go to Sudan to combat beside the Sudanese RSF militia, a force implicated in severe violations such as massacres based on ethnicity and widespread kidnappings.

Discovery of Participation

The involvement of Colombian fighters initially emerged last year, prompted by an report which revealed that more than 300 retired troops had been recruited to engage in combat – an event that led to an unprecedented apology from the Colombian government.

Colombian ex-soldiers have historically been seen as highly prized fighters in conflict zones due to their extensive battlefield experience resulting from decades of civil war, training on advanced weaponry, and superior tactical education.

Activities in Sudan

In the conflict, the Colombians have reportedly trained minors, provided drone warfare training, and fought directly on the frontlines. One source remarked that working with child soldiers was "horrific and irrational" but added that "regrettably, war operates that way".

Targeted Persons

Among those targeted was a dual national, a citizen of both Colombia and Italy and retired Colombian military officer based in the United Arab Emirates. The Treasury alleged he played a key part in enlisting and transporting ex-military personnel to Sudan. His spouse, Claudia Oliveros, was penalized as well.

Also on the penalty list was Mateo Andrés Duque Botero, a dual Colombian-Spanish citizen who the Treasury stated managed a business implicated in managing finances and payments for the recruitment operation. "Recently, companies in the United States connected to Duque conducted multiple financial transactions, worth millions," the Treasury statement noted.

Colombian national Mónica Muñoz Ucros was the fourth individual to be targeted, with the entity she oversaw alleged to have money transfers linked to Duque and his businesses.

"The United States again calls on outside forces to cease providing financial and military support to the combatants," the department said in a statement.

Reaction

Elizabeth Dickinson, with the International Crisis Group, called the measures as a "major" development, noting that "calling out those who are doing the contracting is the correct approach".

Furthermore, Colombia ratified a piece of legislation approving the International Convention Against the Recruitment and Use of Mercenaries, aiming to curb its citizens' long history in foreign conflicts and transform domestic defense strategy.

Sean McFate, a authority on private military contractors, advised additional measures, saying that "penalties are required yet incomplete for dealing with the growing mercenary trade".

"This is a shadow economy and operating from the Emirates, which is difficult to penalize," he stated. The Emirati government has been repeatedly implicated of arming the RSF, claims it rejects. "This trend will probably continue," the expert cautioned.