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The US government has levied restrictions on a operation of several persons and entities alleged of hiring South American contractors to fight for and train a armed faction in Sudan the United States claims of committing genocide.

Operation Structure

Revealing the sanctions on this week, the Treasury stated the network was largely composed of individuals and businesses from Colombia.

Hundreds of former Colombian military personnel have been recruited to go to the Sudanese warzone to combat beside the Sudanese RSF militia, a group accused of horrific war crimes such as targeted ethnic killings and widespread kidnappings.

Revelation of Role

The participation of ex-soldiers was first uncovered the previous year, following an report which revealed that more than 300 former soldiers had been hired to participate in the war – an event that prompted an unusual statement of regret from officials in Bogotá.

These South American veterans have historically been seen as highly prized fighters in conflict zones due to their considerable warzone knowledge resulting from decades of civil war, knowledge of Western military gear, and elite military instruction.

Role in the Conflict

In the conflict, the contractors have been accused of teaching child soldiers, provided drone warfare training, and fought directly on the frontlines. A mercenary remarked that training children was "awful and crazy" but commented that "sadly, that is the nature of conflict".

Sanctioned Individuals

Among those penalized was a dual national, a dual Colombian-Italian national and former army officer based in the Dubai. The government accused him a pivotal function in enlisting and transporting ex-military personnel to Sudan. His spouse, Claudia Viviana Oliveros Forero, was similarly targeted.

Also on the sanctions list was Duque Botero, a individual with Colombian and Spanish citizenship who authorities say oversaw a company implicated in managing finances and payments for the scheme. "Recently, American entities associated with Duque conducted numerous wire transfers, totalling millions of US dollars," the official announcement noted.

Colombian national Mónica Muñoz was the final person to be penalized, with the company she managed accused of money transfers linked to Duque and his operations.

"Washington reiterates its demand for outside forces to halt the flow of financial and military support to the belligerents," the Treasury stated.

Reaction

An expert, with the International Crisis Group, described the measures as a "major" development, noting that "identifying the recruiters is the right way to go".

She added that, the Colombian government ratified a law approving the global treaty against mercenarism, aiming to curb its citizens' long history in overseas wars and change domestic defense strategy.

Another expert, a scholar on the subject, called for greater wariness, noting that "penalties are required yet incomplete for addressing the growing mercenary trade".

"It operates in the black market and centered in the UAE, which is relatively sanction-proof," he said. The UAE has been repeatedly implicated of providing arms to the militia, claims it rejects. "This trend will probably continue," the expert cautioned.