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The Washington has levied restrictions on a group of four people and four firms charged of hiring former Colombian soldiers to support and educate a Sudanese paramilitary group that Washington accuses of genocidal acts.

Network Composition

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

Numerous of former Colombian military personnel have allegedly journeyed to the Sudanese warzone to combat beside the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a force accused of terrible atrocities such as ethnically targeted slaughter and large-scale abductions.

Discovery of Participation

The role of these mercenaries initially emerged last year, after an investigation which revealed that more than 300 former soldiers had been recruited to fight – an discovery that led to 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 vast combat experience resulting from decades of civil war, training on Nato equipment, and elite military instruction.

Activities in Sudan

In the Sudanese theater, the mercenaries have reportedly trained child soldiers, taught fighters to pilot drones, and engaged in frontline combat. A mercenary was quoted as saying that training children was "horrific and irrational" but commented that "unfortunately that’s how war is".

Named Entities

Among those targeted was a dual national, a citizen of both Colombia and Italy and ex-soldier located in the Dubai. The US authorities alleged he played a pivotal function in hiring and sending mercenaries to Sudan. His wife, Claudia Viviana Oliveros Forero, was penalized as well.

Also on the restricted list was Mateo Duque Botero, a dual national who officials alleged oversaw a company linked to handling funds and payroll for the network. "Over the past two years, US-based firms linked to Duque conducted numerous wire transfers, worth millions," the Treasury statement noted.

Citizen of Colombia Mónica Muñoz was the fourth individual to be targeted, with the company she managed alleged to have money transfers connected to Duque and his businesses.

"The US once more urges external actors to cease providing financial and military support to the belligerents," the agency stated.

Expert Analysis

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

She added that, the Colombian government ratified a law ratifying the global treaty against mercenarism, aiming to curb its citizens' long history in foreign conflicts and change domestic defense strategy.

Another expert, a scholar on the subject, called for greater wariness, saying that "sanctions are necessary but insufficient for combating the growing mercenary trade".

"It’s an illicit economy and based out of the UAE, which is largely insulated from sanctions," he said. The Emirati government has been frequently alleged of arming the RSF, claims it rejects. "Expect more Colombian mercenaries," McFate warned.