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

Group Makeup

Revealing the measures on Tuesday, the Treasury stated the scheme was primarily made up of individuals and businesses from Colombia.

Hundreds of former Colombian military personnel have reportedly travelled to the Sudanese warzone to fight alongside the RSF paramilitary group, a force implicated in severe violations encompassing ethnically targeted slaughter and widespread kidnappings.

Revelation of Role

The involvement of Colombian fighters first came to light last year, following an investigation which disclosed that hundreds of ex-military personnel had been recruited to fight – an event that resulted in an rare mea culpa from Colombia’s foreign ministry.

Colombian ex-soldiers have long been considered as highly prized fighters in conflict zones due to their considerable warzone knowledge resulting from decades of civil war, training on advanced weaponry, and high-level combat training.

Activities in Sudan

In the conflict, the mercenaries have reportedly trained underage fighters, provided drone warfare training, and fought directly on the frontlines. One source remarked that training children was "terrible and insane" but added that "unfortunately that’s how war is".

Targeted Persons

Among those penalized was a retired Colombian officer, a dual Colombian-Italian national and former army officer located in the Dubai. The US authorities said he had a key part in hiring and sending ex-military personnel to Sudan. His wife, Claudia Viviana Oliveros Forero, was penalized as well.

Also on the restricted list was Mateo Andrés Duque Botero, a dual national who authorities say managed a business linked to managing finances and payments for the network. "Recently, American entities connected to Duque carried out multiple financial transactions, totalling millions of US dollars," the official announcement noted.

Colombian national Mónica Muñoz was the other individual to be targeted, with the company she managed said to have conducted financial transactions linked to Duque and his companies.

"The United States again calls on outside forces to halt the flow of monetary and weaponry aid to the warring parties," the agency stated.

Reaction

A senior analyst, from a conflict think tank, labeled the sanctions as a "highly important" development, stating that "identifying the recruiters is the proper strategy".

Furthermore, the Colombian government recently passed a statute ratifying the anti-mercenary convention, seeking to reduce its citizens' long history in foreign conflicts and change national security policy.

A mercenary specialist, a scholar on the subject, called for greater wariness, saying that "restrictions are needed but not enough for addressing the growing mercenary trade".

"It’s an illicit economy and centered in the Emirates, which is largely insulated from sanctions," he stated. The United Arab Emirates has been widely accused of supplying weapons to the paramilitary group, an accusation it has denied. "More contractors from Colombia are likely," McFate warned.