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The Washington has levied restrictions on a operation of several persons and entities charged of hiring South American contractors to support and educate a militia force in Sudan which the US alleges of committing genocide.

Group Makeup

Disclosing the measures on this week, the US Treasury Department stated the network was primarily made up of Colombian nationals and companies.

Hundreds of retired Colombian troops have reportedly travelled to the Sudanese warzone to combat beside the RSF paramilitary group, a force linked to terrible atrocities including targeted ethnic killings and mass abductions.

Revelation of Role

The role of these mercenaries initially emerged the previous year, after an investigation which disclosed that more than 300 former soldiers had been hired to participate in the war – an event that resulted in an rare mea culpa from the Colombian government.

Colombian ex-soldiers have widely regarded as some of the most in-demand contractors globally due to their vast combat experience acquired during a long-running domestic war, familiarity with Western military gear, and elite military instruction.

Role in the Conflict

In Sudan, the contractors have allegedly instructed minors, taught fighters to pilot drones, and fought directly on the frontlines. An individual involved remarked that working with child soldiers was "horrific and irrational" but added that "regrettably, war operates that way".

Sanctioned Individuals

Among those sanctioned was Álvaro Andrés Quijano Becerra, a individual with dual citizenship and ex-soldier operating from the UAE. The Treasury said he had a central role in recruiting and deploying ex-military personnel to Sudan. His wife, Claudia Oliveros, was penalized as well.

Also on the sanctions list was Mateo Andrés Duque Botero, a dual national who the Treasury stated managed a business accused of handling funds and payroll for the network. "Over the past two years, American entities linked to Duque engaged in several money transfers, amounting to millions," the Treasury statement said.

Citizen of Colombia Mónica Muñoz Ucros was the fourth individual to be penalized, with the firm she operated accused of money transfers connected to Duque and his companies.

"The US once more urges foreign parties to halt the flow of funding and arms to the belligerents," the Treasury said in a statement.

Reaction

Elizabeth Dickinson, from a conflict think tank, described the sanctions as a "very significant" step, noting that "identifying the recruiters is the correct approach".

Furthermore, Bogotá has enacted a statute ratifying the anti-mercenary convention, aiming to curb its citizens' long history in international fights and reshape national security policy.

Another expert, an expert on mercenaries, advised additional measures, saying that "penalties are required yet incomplete for addressing rampant mercenarism".

"It operates in the black market and based out of the UAE, which is difficult to penalize," he commented. The Emirati government has been widely accused of providing arms to the militia, an accusation it has denied. "Expect more Colombian mercenaries," McFate warned.