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The US government has enforced penalties on a network of several persons and entities accused of enlisting former Colombian soldiers to fight for and train a Sudanese paramilitary group the United States claims of committing genocide.

Group Makeup

Revealing the restrictions on Tuesday, the American treasury stated the operation was primarily made up of Colombian nationals and companies.

Scores of former Colombian military personnel have been recruited to go to Sudan to fight alongside the Sudanese RSF militia, a faction linked to terrible atrocities encompassing targeted ethnic killings and large-scale abductions.

Discovery of Participation

The role of these mercenaries was first uncovered in 2024, prompted by an report which disclosed that over three hundred former soldiers had been recruited to fight – an event that prompted an unprecedented apology from the Colombian government.

Colombian ex-soldiers have long been considered as among the world’s most sought-after mercenaries due to their considerable warzone knowledge acquired during years of internal conflict, knowledge of Nato equipment, and superior tactical education.

Role in the Conflict

In Sudan, the Colombians have allegedly instructed underage fighters, taught fighters to pilot drones, and engaged in frontline combat. An individual involved remarked that training children was "awful and crazy" but added that "unfortunately that’s how war is".

Sanctioned Individuals

Among those targeted was a dual national, a dual Colombian-Italian national and retired Colombian military officer located in the UAE. The government accused him a pivotal function in recruiting and deploying former Colombian soldiers to Sudan. His spouse, Claudia Oliveros, was similarly targeted.

Also on the sanctions list was Mateo Duque Botero, a individual with Colombian and Spanish citizenship who officials alleged oversaw a company accused of handling funds and payroll for the recruitment operation. "Recently, companies in the United States linked to Duque conducted several money transfers, totalling millions of US dollars," the official announcement noted.

Citizen of Colombia Mónica Muñoz Ucros was the other individual to be sanctioned, with the company she managed said to have conducted money transfers associated with Duque and his operations.

"The United States again calls on external actors to cease providing financial and military support to the combatants," the Treasury announced.

Reaction

A senior analyst, from a conflict think tank, labeled the sanctions as a "major" development, saying that "identifying the recruiters is the right way to go".

She added that, the Colombian government recently passed a statute endorsing the global treaty against mercenarism, seeking to reduce its citizens' long history in foreign conflicts and change domestic defense strategy.

Another expert, a authority on private military contractors, advised additional measures, stating that "sanctions are necessary but insufficient for combating the growing mercenary trade".

"It operates in the black market and operating from the UAE, which is largely insulated from sanctions," he commented. The UAE has been frequently alleged of supplying weapons to the paramilitary group, an accusation it has denied. "More contractors from Colombia are likely," the expert cautioned.