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The United States has levied restrictions on a operation of several persons and entities accused of hiring Colombian mercenaries to fight for and train a Sudanese paramilitary group the United States claims of committing genocide.

Network Composition

Announcing the measures on this week, the Treasury stated the scheme was primarily made up of individuals and businesses from Colombia.

Scores of retired Colombian troops have been recruited to go to Sudan to fight alongside the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a force accused of horrific war crimes such as targeted ethnic killings and widespread kidnappings.

Discovery of Participation

The participation of ex-soldiers first came to light the previous year, prompted by an investigation which found that over three hundred ex-military personnel had been hired to participate in the war – an revelation that led to an rare mea culpa from Colombia’s foreign ministry.

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, knowledge of Nato equipment, and superior tactical education.

Role in the Conflict

In the Sudanese theater, the contractors have been accused of teaching underage fighters, instructed militiamen in drone operation, and participated in direct battles. One source remarked that working with child soldiers was "horrific and irrational" but commented that "sadly, that is the nature of conflict".

Named Entities

Among those sanctioned was Álvaro Andrés Quijano Becerra, a individual with dual citizenship and former army officer based in the United Arab Emirates. The Treasury accused him a pivotal function in enlisting and transporting former Colombian soldiers to Sudan. His wife, Claudia Viviana Oliveros Forero, was similarly targeted.

Also on the penalty list was Mateo Duque Botero, a dual Colombian-Spanish citizen who the Treasury stated ran a firm linked to managing finances and payments for the scheme. "Recently, American entities connected to Duque conducted several money transfers, totalling millions of US dollars," the government release said.

Individual Mónica Muñoz was the final person to be sanctioned, with the entity she oversaw accused of money transfers connected to Duque and his companies.

"Washington reiterates its demand for foreign parties to halt the flow of funding and arms to the belligerents," the agency stated.

Expert Analysis

An expert, from a conflict think tank, described the measures as a "highly important" milestone, saying that "identifying the recruiters is the proper strategy".

Furthermore, Bogotá ratified a law approving 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, an expert on mercenaries, urged more caution, noting that "penalties are required yet incomplete for dealing with widespread use of contractors".

"This is a shadow economy and centered in Dubai, which is largely insulated from sanctions," he said. The United Arab Emirates has been repeatedly implicated of supplying weapons to the paramilitary group, claims it rejects. "More contractors from Colombia are likely," he advised.