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The United States has levied restrictions on a operation of four people and four firms charged of recruiting former Colombian soldiers to support and educate a militia force in Sudan that Washington accuses of genocidal acts.

Operation Structure

Disclosing the measures on this week, the Treasury stated the operation was primarily made up of Colombian citizens and firms.

Numerous of ex-soldiers from Colombia have been recruited to go to Sudan to fight alongside the RSF paramilitary group, a force accused of severe violations including 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 found that more than 300 former soldiers had been hired to engage in combat – an discovery that prompted an rare mea culpa from Colombia’s foreign ministry.

Former Colombian military have historically been seen as highly prized fighters in conflict zones due to their vast combat experience gleaned from a long-running domestic war, familiarity with Nato equipment, and elite military instruction.

Activities in Sudan

In the Sudanese theater, the contractors have reportedly trained underage fighters, provided drone warfare training, and fought directly on the frontlines. An individual involved remarked that working with child soldiers was "terrible and insane" but commented that "unfortunately that’s how war is".

Named Entities

Among those targeted was Álvaro Andrés Quijano Becerra, a citizen of both Colombia and Italy and ex-soldier located in the Dubai. The US authorities said he had a key part in enlisting and transporting mercenaries to Sudan. His spouse, Claudia Oliveros, was also sanctioned.

Also on the sanctions list was Mateo Andrés Duque Botero, a individual with Colombian and Spanish citizenship who authorities say managed a business accused of processing money and salaries for the network. "Recently, American entities linked to Duque conducted multiple financial transactions, amounting to millions," the government release noted.

Individual Mónica Muñoz was the fourth individual to be targeted, with the company she managed accused of wire transfers associated with Duque and his operations.

"The US once more urges foreign parties to stop giving financial and military support to the warring parties," the agency said in a statement.

Reaction

An expert, from a conflict think tank, described the sanctions as a "major" milestone, stating that "identifying the recruiters is the correct approach".

It was also noted that, Colombia ratified a piece of legislation approving the global treaty against mercenarism, aiming to curb its citizens' long history in overseas wars and change domestic defense strategy.

Sean McFate, an expert on mercenaries, called for greater wariness, saying that "penalties are required yet incomplete for addressing widespread use of contractors".

"This is a shadow economy and operating from the UAE, which is largely insulated from sanctions," he commented. The UAE has been widely accused of providing arms to the militia, an accusation it has denied. "This trend will probably continue," McFate warned.