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The US government has imposed sanctions on a group of four individuals and four companies alleged of hiring South American contractors to support and educate a Sudanese paramilitary group the United States claims of genocidal acts.

Network Composition

Disclosing the restrictions on this week, the American treasury stated the operation was mostly comprised of Colombian nationals and companies.

Numerous of former Colombian military personnel have been recruited to go to Sudan to fight alongside the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a faction implicated in severe violations encompassing ethnically targeted slaughter and widespread kidnappings.

Discovery of Participation

The participation of ex-soldiers initially emerged in 2024, prompted by an inquiry which found that over three hundred ex-military personnel had been hired to participate in the war – an revelation that prompted an unusual statement of regret from Colombia’s foreign ministry.

Former Colombian military have widely regarded as among the world’s most sought-after mercenaries due to their considerable warzone knowledge gleaned from years of internal conflict, knowledge of Western military gear, and high-level combat training.

Activities in Sudan

In the conflict, the Colombians have reportedly trained underage fighters, taught fighters to pilot drones, and engaged in frontline combat. One source remarked that working with child soldiers was "horrific and irrational" but added that "sadly, that is the nature of conflict".

Targeted Persons

Among those penalized was Álvaro Andrés Quijano Becerra, a citizen of both Colombia and Italy and ex-soldier operating from the United Arab Emirates. The Treasury said he had a central role in enlisting and transporting former Colombian soldiers to Sudan. His wife, Claudia Oliveros, was also sanctioned.

Also on the sanctions list was Mateo Duque Botero, a dual national who the Treasury stated ran a firm linked to handling funds and payroll for the scheme. "Recently, US-based firms associated with Duque carried out numerous wire transfers, amounting to millions," the government release stated.

Individual Mónica Muñoz Ucros was the fourth individual to be sanctioned, with the entity she oversaw alleged to have money transfers linked to Duque and his companies.

"The United States again calls on foreign parties to stop giving monetary and weaponry aid to the warring parties," the Treasury stated.

Expert Analysis

An expert, senior analyst at the International Crisis Group, labeled the measures as a "major" step, saying that "targeting the enablers is the proper strategy".

It was also noted that, the Colombian government has enacted a statute endorsing the International Convention Against the Recruitment and Use of Mercenaries, designed to limit years of participation by its nationals in foreign conflicts and reshape national security policy.

Sean McFate, a authority on private military contractors, urged more caution, saying that "penalties are required yet incomplete for combating rampant mercenarism".

"It operates in the black market and based out of Dubai, which is largely insulated from sanctions," he stated. The United Arab Emirates has been widely accused of arming the RSF, allegations it disputes. "Expect more Colombian mercenaries," the expert cautioned.