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The Washington has enforced penalties on a operation of four individuals and four companies charged of enlisting Colombian mercenaries to fight for and train a armed faction in Sudan which the US alleges of genocidal acts.

Network Composition

Disclosing the sanctions on Tuesday, the Treasury stated the operation was largely composed of Colombian nationals and companies.

Scores of ex-soldiers from Colombia have allegedly journeyed to the Sudanese warzone to fight alongside the RSF paramilitary group, a faction linked to severe violations including ethnically targeted slaughter and widespread kidnappings.

Revelation of Role

The role of these mercenaries was first uncovered last year, after an investigation which found that more than 300 ex-military personnel had been hired to participate in the war – an revelation that prompted an rare mea culpa from the Colombian government.

Colombian ex-soldiers have long been considered as among the world’s most sought-after mercenaries due to their extensive battlefield experience resulting from a long-running domestic war, familiarity with advanced weaponry, and high-level combat training.

Reported Actions

In the conflict, the Colombians have reportedly trained child soldiers, instructed militiamen in drone operation, and engaged in frontline combat. An individual involved remarked that training children was "terrible and insane" but noted that "sadly, that is the nature of conflict".

Targeted Persons

Among those sanctioned was a retired Colombian officer, a dual Colombian-Italian national and ex-soldier located in the Dubai. The government said he had a key part in enlisting and transporting mercenaries to Sudan. His spouse, Claudia Viviana Oliveros Forero, was also sanctioned.

Also on the sanctions list was Mateo Duque Botero, a dual national who officials alleged ran a firm linked to handling funds and payroll for the scheme. "Recently, American entities connected to Duque carried out several money transfers, totalling millions of US dollars," the official announcement noted.

Individual Mónica Muñoz Ucros was the other individual to be sanctioned, with the entity she oversaw said to have conducted wire transfers connected to Duque and his businesses.

"Washington reiterates its demand for external actors to stop giving financial and military support to the warring parties," the agency announced.

Expert Analysis

An expert, senior analyst at the International Crisis Group, called the measures as a "highly important" step, noting that "identifying the recruiters is the correct approach".

Furthermore, Colombia has enacted a statute endorsing the International Convention Against the Recruitment and Use of Mercenaries, seeking to reduce years of participation by its nationals in overseas wars and reshape domestic defense strategy.

Another expert, a scholar on the subject, called for greater wariness, noting that "penalties are required yet incomplete for addressing rampant mercenarism".

"This is a shadow economy and operating from the Emirates, which is largely insulated from sanctions," he said. The UAE has been frequently alleged of supplying weapons to the paramilitary group, claims it rejects. "This trend will probably continue," McFate warned.