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The United States has levied restrictions on a group of several persons and entities accused of recruiting former Colombian soldiers to combat alongside and instruct a armed faction in Sudan which the US alleges of acts of genocide.

Group Makeup

Revealing the sanctions on this week, the US Treasury Department stated the operation was primarily made up of Colombian nationals and companies.

Scores of retired Colombian troops have been recruited to go to the Sudanese warzone to combat beside the RSF paramilitary group, a force linked to horrific war crimes encompassing ethnically targeted slaughter and widespread kidnappings.

Discovery of Participation

The participation of ex-soldiers first came to light the previous year, following an report which disclosed that more than 300 ex-military personnel had been recruited to engage in combat – an revelation that prompted an unusual statement of regret from officials in Bogotá.

Former Colombian military have widely regarded as some of the most in-demand contractors globally due to their extensive battlefield experience resulting from decades of civil war, knowledge of Nato equipment, and elite military instruction.

Reported Actions

In Sudan, the mercenaries have reportedly trained minors, instructed militiamen in drone operation, and fought directly on the frontlines. A mercenary was quoted as saying that working with child soldiers was "terrible and insane" but noted that "regrettably, war operates that way".

Sanctioned Individuals

Among those sanctioned was Álvaro Andrés Quijano Becerra, a dual Colombian-Italian national and retired Colombian military officer based in the Dubai. The government alleged he played a pivotal function in recruiting and deploying ex-military personnel to Sudan. His wife, Claudia Viviana Oliveros Forero, was also sanctioned.

Also on the sanctions list was Mateo Duque Botero, a dual national who authorities say managed a business implicated in managing finances and payments for the network. "Over the past two years, companies in the United States associated with Duque engaged in multiple financial transactions, totalling millions of US dollars," the government release noted.

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

"Washington reiterates its demand for foreign parties to halt the flow of monetary and weaponry aid to the combatants," the agency said in a statement.

Analyst Commentary

A senior analyst, from a conflict think tank, described the sanctions as a "major" milestone, noting that "identifying the recruiters is the correct approach".

It was also noted that, Bogotá has enacted a statute approving the global treaty against mercenarism, aiming to curb decades of Colombian involvement in international fights and reshape national security policy.

Sean McFate, a scholar on the subject, advised additional measures, noting that "sanctions are necessary but insufficient for addressing rampant mercenarism".

"It’s an illicit economy and centered in the UAE, which is largely insulated from sanctions," he commented. The Emirati government has been frequently alleged of arming the RSF, an accusation it has denied. "More contractors from Colombia are likely," McFate warned.