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The United States has levied restrictions on a operation of several persons and entities charged of hiring Colombian mercenaries to combat alongside and instruct a militia force in Sudan which the US alleges of committing genocide.

Group Makeup

Revealing the measures on this week, the American treasury stated the network was largely composed of Colombian nationals and companies.

Scores of ex-soldiers from Colombia have been recruited to go to Sudan to fight alongside the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a group accused of horrific war crimes such as targeted ethnic killings and widespread kidnappings.

Emergence of Involvement

The role of these mercenaries was first uncovered the previous year, after an report which revealed that hundreds of ex-military personnel had been hired to engage in combat – an discovery that prompted an rare mea culpa from officials in Bogotá.

Colombian ex-soldiers have widely regarded as some of the most in-demand contractors globally due to their extensive battlefield experience acquired during years of internal conflict, knowledge of Western military gear, and high-level combat training.

Role in the Conflict

In Sudan, the mercenaries have allegedly instructed minors, provided drone warfare training, and fought directly on the frontlines. A mercenary was quoted as saying that training children was "horrific and irrational" but commented that "sadly, that is the nature of conflict".

Targeted Persons

Among those sanctioned was a retired Colombian officer, a citizen of both Colombia and Italy and retired Colombian military officer located in the UAE. The US authorities alleged he played 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 Duque Botero, a dual Colombian-Spanish citizen who the Treasury stated ran a firm linked to processing money and salaries for the recruitment operation. "Over the past two years, companies in the United States linked to Duque conducted multiple financial transactions, totalling millions of US dollars," the Treasury statement noted.

Colombian national Mónica Muñoz was the fourth individual to be penalized, with the firm she operated said to have conducted money transfers connected to Duque and his companies.

"The US once more urges foreign parties to stop giving financial and military support to the warring parties," the Treasury said in a statement.

Analyst Commentary

Elizabeth Dickinson, senior analyst at the International Crisis Group, labeled the measures as a "very significant" step, saying that "targeting the enablers is the right way to go".

Furthermore, Colombia recently passed a statute ratifying the International Convention Against the Recruitment and Use of Mercenaries, designed to limit years of participation by its nationals in overseas wars and transform national security policy.

Sean McFate, an expert on mercenaries, urged more caution, noting that "penalties are required yet incomplete for combating rampant mercenarism".

"It operates in the black market and operating from the UAE, which is difficult to penalize," he said. The UAE has been frequently alleged of arming the RSF, allegations it disputes. "This trend will probably continue," the expert cautioned.