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The United States has imposed sanctions on a operation of four individuals and four companies charged of hiring former Colombian soldiers to fight for and train a Sudanese paramilitary group the United States claims of committing genocide.

Operation Structure

Announcing the sanctions on this week, the US Treasury Department stated the network was largely composed of Colombian citizens and firms.

Hundreds of ex-soldiers from Colombia have been recruited to go to the Sudanese warzone to fight alongside the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a faction implicated in terrible atrocities including massacres based on ethnicity and widespread kidnappings.

Emergence of Involvement

The role of these mercenaries first came to light last year, after an inquiry which revealed that over three hundred ex-military personnel had been hired to participate in the war – an event that led to an unprecedented apology from Colombia’s foreign ministry.

Colombian ex-soldiers have historically been seen as highly prized fighters in conflict zones due to their extensive battlefield experience acquired during a long-running domestic war, knowledge of advanced weaponry, and high-level combat training.

Reported Actions

In the Sudanese theater, the contractors have allegedly instructed minors, provided drone warfare training, and fought directly on the frontlines. An individual involved previously stated that working with child soldiers was "terrible and insane" but noted that "sadly, that is the nature of conflict".

Targeted Persons

Among those sanctioned was a dual national, a citizen of both Colombia and Italy and retired Colombian military officer operating from the Dubai. The Treasury said he had a pivotal function in enlisting and transporting ex-military personnel to Sudan. His spouse, Claudia Viviana Oliveros Forero, was similarly targeted.

Also on the penalty list was Mateo Duque Botero, a dual national who the Treasury stated ran a firm implicated in handling funds and payroll for the network. "Recently, companies in the United States connected to Duque conducted multiple financial transactions, worth millions," the Treasury statement noted.

Citizen of Colombia Mónica Muñoz was the other individual to be sanctioned, with the entity she oversaw said to have conducted financial transactions linked to Duque and his companies.

"The US once more urges outside forces to halt the flow of financial and military support to the combatants," the Treasury stated.

Expert Analysis

A senior analyst, with the International Crisis Group, labeled the measures as a "major" step, noting that "calling out those who are doing the contracting is the right way to go".

She added that, the Colombian government ratified a statute ratifying the global treaty against mercenarism, aiming to curb decades of Colombian involvement in foreign conflicts and reshape national security policy.

Another expert, an expert on mercenaries, called for greater wariness, noting that "restrictions are needed but not enough for addressing widespread use of contractors".

"It’s an illicit economy and operating from Dubai, which is largely insulated from sanctions," he said. The United Arab Emirates has been repeatedly implicated of arming the RSF, claims it rejects. "This trend will probably continue," he advised.