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The United States has enforced penalties on a group of several persons and entities accused of enlisting South American contractors to combat alongside and instruct a Sudanese paramilitary group that Washington accuses of committing genocide.

Group Makeup

Announcing the measures on this week, the American treasury stated the network was largely composed of Colombian nationals and companies.

Numerous of retired Colombian troops have reportedly travelled to the conflict in Sudan to fight alongside the Sudanese RSF militia, a force implicated in horrific war crimes such as targeted ethnic killings and widespread kidnappings.

Discovery of Participation

The participation of ex-soldiers initially emerged last year, following an investigation which disclosed that hundreds of retired troops had been hired to fight – an revelation that led to an unprecedented apology from officials in Bogotá.

Colombian ex-soldiers have long been considered as among the world’s most sought-after mercenaries due to their considerable warzone knowledge resulting from years of internal conflict, familiarity with advanced weaponry, and high-level combat training.

Reported Actions

In the Sudanese theater, the contractors have been accused of teaching child soldiers, instructed militiamen in drone operation, and fought directly on the frontlines. A mercenary was quoted as saying that training children was "terrible and insane" but noted that "regrettably, war operates that way".

Sanctioned Individuals

Among those penalized was a dual national, a individual with dual citizenship and ex-soldier located in the Dubai. The US authorities alleged he played a central role in recruiting and deploying mercenaries to Sudan. His spouse, Claudia Oliveros, was similarly targeted.

Also on the sanctions list was Mateo Duque Botero, a dual national who authorities say ran a firm accused of processing money and salaries for the scheme. "Recently, US-based firms linked to Duque conducted multiple financial transactions, amounting to millions," the government release said.

Citizen of Colombia Mónica Muñoz Ucros was the fourth individual to be sanctioned, with the entity she oversaw accused of money transfers linked to Duque and his operations.

"The US once more urges external actors to halt the flow of monetary and weaponry aid to the warring parties," the department said in a statement.

Analyst Commentary

Elizabeth Dickinson, senior analyst at the International Crisis Group, labeled the actions as a "very significant" step, saying that "targeting the enablers is the correct approach".

She added that, Colombia ratified a statute ratifying the International Convention Against the Recruitment and Use of Mercenaries, designed to limit its citizens' long history in foreign conflicts and change national security policy.

A mercenary specialist, a authority on private military contractors, called for greater wariness, noting that "sanctions are necessary but insufficient for addressing the growing mercenary trade".

"It’s an illicit economy and operating from the Emirates, which is relatively sanction-proof," he stated. The Emirati government has been widely accused of arming the RSF, allegations it disputes. "This trend will probably continue," he advised.