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The United States has imposed sanctions on a network of several persons and entities alleged of recruiting Colombian mercenaries to support and educate a armed faction in Sudan the United States claims of genocidal acts.

Operation Structure

Announcing the restrictions on Tuesday, the American treasury stated the network was largely composed of individuals and businesses from Colombia.

Scores of former Colombian military personnel have been recruited to go to the conflict in Sudan to fight alongside the RSF paramilitary group, a group linked to horrific war crimes encompassing massacres based on ethnicity and large-scale abductions.

Revelation of Role

The role of these mercenaries first came to light last year, after an report which found that more than 300 retired troops had been recruited to participate in the war – an event that led to an unusual statement of regret from Colombia’s foreign ministry.

Former Colombian military have widely regarded as some of the most in-demand contractors globally due to their considerable warzone knowledge resulting from years of internal conflict, knowledge of Nato equipment, and high-level combat training.

Role in the Conflict

In the Sudanese theater, the contractors have allegedly instructed minors, taught fighters to pilot drones, and fought directly on the frontlines. A mercenary remarked that working with child soldiers was "awful and crazy" but noted that "unfortunately that’s how war is".

Sanctioned Individuals

Among those targeted was a retired Colombian officer, a individual with dual citizenship and former army officer operating from the UAE. The government alleged he played a central role in recruiting and deploying mercenaries to Sudan. His wife, Claudia Oliveros, was similarly targeted.

Also on the sanctions list was Mateo Andrés Duque Botero, a individual with Colombian and Spanish citizenship who the Treasury stated ran a firm implicated in managing finances and payments for the network. "Over the past two years, US-based firms linked to Duque carried out several money transfers, totalling millions of US dollars," the government release said.

Colombian national Mónica Muñoz was the other individual to be targeted, with the company she managed alleged to have wire transfers associated with Duque and his companies.

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

Analyst Commentary

An expert, from a conflict think tank, labeled the sanctions as a "very significant" step, stating that "targeting the enablers is the right way to go".

It was also noted that, Bogotá has enacted a statute endorsing the International Convention Against the Recruitment and Use of Mercenaries, designed to limit years of participation by its nationals in foreign conflicts and reshape its security approach.

Sean McFate, a scholar on the subject, advised additional measures, noting that "penalties are required yet incomplete for combating the growing mercenary trade".

"It operates in the black market and operating from the Emirates, which is relatively sanction-proof," he commented. The Emirati government has been frequently alleged of providing arms to the militia, allegations it disputes. "More contractors from Colombia are likely," the expert cautioned.