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The United States has enforced penalties on a group of several persons and entities charged of enlisting former Colombian soldiers to support and educate a Sudanese paramilitary group which the US alleges of genocidal acts.

Network Composition

Announcing the measures on this week, the American treasury stated the network was primarily made up of Colombian citizens and firms.

Scores of former Colombian military personnel have reportedly travelled to the Sudanese warzone to combat beside the RSF paramilitary group, a group accused of severe violations including massacres based on ethnicity and mass abductions.

Revelation of Role

The involvement of Colombian fighters first came to light last year, prompted by an inquiry which found that hundreds of ex-military personnel had been contracted to participate in the war – an revelation that led to an rare mea culpa from Colombia’s foreign ministry.

These South American veterans have long been considered as some of the most in-demand contractors globally due to their considerable warzone knowledge gleaned from years of internal conflict, knowledge of Western military gear, and high-level combat training.

Reported Actions

In the Sudanese theater, the Colombians have been accused of teaching underage fighters, instructed militiamen in drone operation, and fought directly on the frontlines. A mercenary was quoted as saying that working with child soldiers was "awful and crazy" but noted that "regrettably, war operates that way".

Sanctioned Individuals

Among those targeted was Álvaro Andrés Quijano Becerra, a citizen of both Colombia and Italy and retired Colombian military officer based in the Dubai. The government accused him a pivotal function in recruiting and deploying former Colombian soldiers to Sudan. His wife, Claudia Oliveros, was similarly targeted.

Also on the sanctions list was Mateo Duque Botero, a dual Colombian-Spanish citizen who authorities say ran a firm accused of handling funds and payroll for the recruitment operation. "Recently, companies in the United States linked to Duque carried out numerous wire transfers, totalling millions of US dollars," the government release stated.

Individual Mónica Muñoz was the fourth individual to be sanctioned, with the company she managed said to have conducted financial transactions associated with Duque and his operations.

"The US once more urges external actors to stop giving financial and military support to the combatants," the department announced.

Expert Analysis

A senior analyst, from a conflict think tank, described the actions as a "major" development, saying that "targeting the enablers is the correct approach".

Furthermore, Bogotá recently passed a statute approving the International Convention Against the Recruitment and Use of Mercenaries, seeking to reduce decades of Colombian involvement in foreign conflicts and change its security approach.

Another expert, an expert on mercenaries, called for greater wariness, noting that "sanctions are necessary but insufficient for combating the growing mercenary trade".

"It operates in the black market and operating from the UAE, which is difficult to penalize," he commented. The UAE has been repeatedly implicated of providing arms to the militia, allegations it disputes. "Expect more Colombian mercenaries," the expert cautioned.