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The Washington has levied restrictions on a group of four individuals and four companies accused of enlisting Colombian mercenaries to support and educate a militia force in Sudan which the US alleges of committing genocide.

Group Makeup

Disclosing the measures on Tuesday, the Treasury stated the operation was primarily made up of Colombian citizens and firms.

Numerous of former Colombian military personnel have reportedly travelled to Sudan to operate with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a force implicated in severe violations encompassing massacres based on ethnicity and widespread kidnappings.

Emergence of Involvement

The participation of ex-soldiers initially emerged the previous year, prompted by an report which disclosed that hundreds of ex-military personnel had been hired to participate in the war – an discovery that prompted an unprecedented apology from Colombia’s foreign ministry.

These South American veterans have widely regarded as among the world’s most sought-after mercenaries due to their vast combat experience gleaned from decades of civil war, familiarity with Nato equipment, and superior tactical education.

Reported Actions

In the conflict, the Colombians 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 "awful and crazy" but commented that "sadly, that is the nature of conflict".

Sanctioned Individuals

Among those targeted was Álvaro Andrés Quijano Becerra, a dual Colombian-Italian national and former army officer based in the UAE. The Treasury accused him a central role in recruiting and deploying former Colombian soldiers to Sudan. His spouse, Claudia Viviana Oliveros Forero, was also sanctioned.

Also on the penalty list was Mateo Andrés Duque Botero, a dual national who officials alleged oversaw a company accused of managing finances and payments for the scheme. "Over the past two years, American entities associated with Duque conducted several money transfers, amounting to millions," the Treasury statement stated.

Colombian national Mónica Muñoz Ucros was the other individual to be sanctioned, with the firm she operated said to have conducted wire transfers associated with Duque and his operations.

"The US once more urges external actors to cease providing funding and arms to the warring parties," the agency stated.

Reaction

Elizabeth Dickinson, with the International Crisis Group, called the sanctions as a "very significant" milestone, saying that "targeting the enablers is the right way to go".

Furthermore, Bogotá ratified a law ratifying the International Convention Against the Recruitment and Use of Mercenaries, designed to limit years of participation by its nationals in overseas wars and change its security approach.

Another expert, a authority on private military contractors, advised additional measures, noting that "penalties are required yet incomplete for addressing the growing mercenary trade".

"It operates in the black market and centered in Dubai, which is largely insulated from sanctions," he commented. The UAE has been repeatedly implicated of supplying weapons to the paramilitary group, claims it rejects. "Expect more Colombian mercenaries," the expert cautioned.