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The US government has enforced penalties on a network of four people and four firms charged of enlisting South American contractors to support and educate a armed faction in Sudan which the US alleges of committing genocide.

Operation Structure

Disclosing the restrictions on Tuesday, the Treasury stated the network was mostly comprised of Colombian nationals and companies.

Scores of retired Colombian troops have reportedly travelled to the conflict in Sudan to fight alongside the Sudanese RSF militia, a faction linked to severe violations including targeted ethnic killings and mass abductions.

Revelation of Role

The role of these mercenaries initially emerged the previous year, following an investigation which revealed that more than 300 retired troops had been recruited to engage in combat – an revelation that resulted in an unusual statement of regret from the Colombian government.

These South American veterans have long been considered as some of the most in-demand contractors globally due to their vast combat experience acquired during decades of civil war, knowledge of Western military gear, and elite military instruction.

Reported Actions

In the Sudanese theater, the contractors have been accused of teaching child soldiers, provided drone warfare training, and fought directly on the frontlines. A mercenary remarked that working with child soldiers was "awful and crazy" but commented that "regrettably, war operates that way".

Targeted Persons

Among those targeted was a retired Colombian officer, a dual Colombian-Italian national and retired Colombian military officer located in the UAE. The Treasury accused him a central role in hiring and sending former Colombian soldiers to Sudan. His spouse, Claudia Oliveros, was penalized as well.

Also on the restricted list was Mateo Andrés Duque Botero, a individual with Colombian and Spanish citizenship who the Treasury stated managed a business implicated in processing money and salaries for the scheme. "Over the past two years, American entities linked to Duque conducted multiple financial transactions, totalling millions of US dollars," the government release noted.

Citizen of Colombia Mónica Muñoz was the fourth individual to be sanctioned, with the firm she operated said to have conducted financial transactions connected to Duque and his businesses.

"Washington reiterates its demand for external actors to cease providing financial and military support to the warring parties," the Treasury announced.

Reaction

An expert, senior analyst at the International Crisis Group, described the measures as a "very significant" development, saying that "targeting the enablers is the proper strategy".

Furthermore, Colombia has enacted a piece of legislation approving the global treaty against mercenarism, aiming to curb years of participation by its nationals in foreign conflicts and transform national security policy.

Sean McFate, a authority on private military contractors, called for greater wariness, stating that "penalties are required yet incomplete for addressing widespread use of contractors".

"This is a shadow economy and operating from the UAE, which is relatively sanction-proof," he said. The United Arab Emirates has been repeatedly implicated of arming the RSF, claims it rejects. "This trend will probably continue," McFate warned.