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The Washington has levied restrictions on a operation of four individuals and four companies accused of recruiting South American contractors to support and educate a militia force in Sudan that Washington accuses of acts of genocide.

Network Composition

Disclosing the measures on Tuesday, the US Treasury Department stated the network was primarily made up of individuals and businesses from Colombia.

Scores of ex-soldiers from Colombia have allegedly journeyed to Sudan to operate with the Sudanese RSF militia, a group accused of terrible atrocities encompassing targeted ethnic killings and mass abductions.

Revelation of Role

The participation of ex-soldiers was first uncovered the previous year, after an investigation which revealed that hundreds of ex-military personnel had been recruited to participate in the war – an discovery that led to an rare mea culpa from officials in Bogotá.

Former Colombian military have long been considered as some of the most in-demand contractors globally due to their considerable warzone knowledge gleaned from a long-running domestic war, knowledge of advanced weaponry, and superior tactical education.

Role in the Conflict

In Sudan, the contractors have allegedly instructed underage fighters, provided drone warfare training, and participated in direct battles. A mercenary previously stated that instructing minors was "terrible and insane" but added that "unfortunately that’s how war is".

Named Entities

Among those penalized was Álvaro Andrés Quijano Becerra, a individual with dual citizenship and ex-soldier located in the United Arab Emirates. The government said he had a central role in recruiting and deploying ex-military personnel to Sudan. His spouse, Claudia Viviana Oliveros Forero, was penalized as well.

Also on the penalty list was Mateo Duque Botero, a individual with Colombian and Spanish citizenship who officials alleged managed a business accused of handling funds and payroll for the scheme. "Recently, American entities linked to Duque carried out several money transfers, totalling millions of US dollars," the Treasury statement stated.

Citizen of Colombia Mónica Muñoz Ucros was the other individual to be sanctioned, with the company she managed alleged to have wire transfers linked to Duque and his operations.

"Washington reiterates its demand for foreign parties to stop giving financial and military support to the warring parties," the department stated.

Expert Analysis

An expert, senior analyst at the International Crisis Group, labeled the sanctions as a "very significant" milestone, noting that "identifying the recruiters is the proper strategy".

Furthermore, Bogotá ratified a piece of legislation ratifying the anti-mercenary convention, designed to limit its citizens' long history in international fights and reshape its security approach.

Sean McFate, an expert on mercenaries, advised additional measures, saying that "sanctions are necessary but insufficient for addressing the growing mercenary trade".

"This is a shadow economy and based out of Dubai, which is relatively sanction-proof," he stated. The Emirati government has been repeatedly implicated of supplying weapons to the paramilitary group, claims it rejects. "Expect more Colombian mercenaries," McFate warned.