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The US government has enforced penalties on a network of four people and four firms accused of recruiting South American contractors to combat alongside and instruct a militia force in Sudan the United States claims of acts of genocide.

Network Composition

Revealing the measures on this week, the American treasury stated the scheme was primarily made up of Colombian nationals and companies.

Hundreds of ex-soldiers from Colombia have allegedly journeyed to the conflict in Sudan to fight alongside the Sudanese RSF militia, a force linked to horrific war crimes such as massacres based on ethnicity and mass abductions.

Discovery of Participation

The involvement of Colombian fighters initially emerged the previous year, prompted by an report which revealed that hundreds of ex-military personnel had been hired to engage in combat – an discovery that prompted an rare mea culpa from the Colombian government.

These South American veterans have historically been seen as some of the most in-demand contractors globally due to their extensive battlefield experience gleaned from decades of civil war, knowledge of Nato equipment, and elite military instruction.

Activities in Sudan

In the conflict, the Colombians have allegedly instructed child soldiers, taught fighters to pilot drones, and fought directly on the frontlines. An individual involved previously stated that training children was "awful and crazy" but commented that "sadly, that is the nature of conflict".

Named Entities

Among those penalized was a dual national, a citizen of both Colombia and Italy and retired Colombian military officer located in the United Arab Emirates. The US authorities alleged he played a key part in hiring and sending former Colombian soldiers to Sudan. His spouse, Claudia Oliveros, was similarly targeted.

Also on the sanctions list was Mateo Andrés Duque Botero, a individual with Colombian and Spanish citizenship who authorities say oversaw a company linked to handling funds and payroll for the recruitment operation. "Over the past two years, US-based firms associated with Duque carried out numerous wire transfers, totalling millions of US dollars," the government release noted.

Individual Mónica Muñoz Ucros was the final person to be sanctioned, with the firm she operated said to have conducted financial transactions linked to Duque and his companies.

"Washington reiterates its demand for external actors to halt the flow of monetary and weaponry aid to the warring parties," the department announced.

Reaction

A senior analyst, from a conflict think tank, described the actions as a "very significant" milestone, noting that "calling out those who are doing the contracting is the right way to go".

She added that, Colombia ratified a statute endorsing the global treaty against mercenarism, seeking to reduce decades of Colombian involvement in overseas wars and reshape its security approach.

A mercenary specialist, a authority on private military contractors, called for greater wariness, noting that "sanctions are necessary but insufficient for addressing widespread use of contractors".

"This is a shadow economy and centered in Dubai, which is relatively sanction-proof," he said. The Emirati government has been frequently alleged of supplying weapons to the paramilitary group, claims it rejects. "This trend will probably continue," McFate warned.