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The Washington has imposed sanctions on a network of four individuals and four companies charged of hiring former Colombian soldiers to fight for and train a armed faction in Sudan the United States claims of genocidal acts.

Network Composition

Disclosing the sanctions on Tuesday, the US Treasury Department stated the scheme was largely composed of Colombian nationals and companies.

Scores of retired Colombian troops have reportedly travelled to Sudan to combat beside the RSF paramilitary group, a group implicated in terrible atrocities encompassing ethnically targeted slaughter and widespread kidnappings.

Discovery of Participation

The participation of ex-soldiers first came to light last year, following an investigation which found that hundreds of retired troops had been hired to fight – an discovery that prompted an unusual statement of regret from officials in Bogotá.

These South American veterans have long been considered as some of the most in-demand contractors globally due to their vast combat experience gleaned from decades of civil war, training on Nato equipment, and high-level combat training.

Role in the Conflict

In the Sudanese theater, the contractors have reportedly trained child soldiers, instructed militiamen in drone operation, and engaged in frontline combat. An individual involved remarked that working with child soldiers was "horrific and irrational" but noted that "sadly, that is the nature of conflict".

Targeted Persons

Among those targeted was Álvaro Andrés Quijano Becerra, a individual with dual citizenship and former army officer operating from the UAE. The US authorities said he had a pivotal function in enlisting and transporting ex-military personnel to Sudan. His spouse, Claudia Oliveros, was similarly targeted.

Also on the restricted list was Duque Botero, a individual with Colombian and Spanish citizenship who the Treasury stated ran a firm accused of handling funds and payroll for the recruitment operation. "Recently, companies in the United States associated with Duque engaged in multiple financial transactions, totalling millions of US dollars," the government release stated.

Citizen of Colombia Mónica Muñoz Ucros was the final person to be sanctioned, with the company she managed accused of money transfers linked to Duque and his businesses.

"The United States again calls on outside forces to halt the flow of funding and arms to the combatants," the Treasury announced.

Reaction

An expert, with the International Crisis Group, called the measures as a "highly important" milestone, noting that "targeting the enablers is the right way to go".

Furthermore, Colombia ratified a statute ratifying the global treaty against mercenarism, designed to limit years of participation by its nationals in international fights and transform domestic defense strategy.

Sean McFate, an expert on mercenaries, advised additional measures, saying that "penalties are required yet incomplete for addressing rampant mercenarism".

"It’s an illicit economy and operating from Dubai, which is largely insulated from sanctions," he commented. The UAE has been widely accused of supplying weapons to the paramilitary group, allegations it disputes. "More contractors from Colombia are likely," the expert cautioned.