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The US government has imposed sanctions on a operation of four people and four firms charged of hiring Colombian mercenaries to combat alongside and instruct a Sudanese paramilitary group the United States claims of genocidal acts.

Operation Structure

Revealing the sanctions on Tuesday, the Treasury stated the operation was largely composed of Colombian nationals and companies.

Scores of retired Colombian troops have reportedly travelled to the conflict in Sudan to fight alongside the RSF paramilitary group, a faction implicated in terrible atrocities such as targeted ethnic killings and mass abductions.

Emergence of Involvement

The participation of ex-soldiers first came to light the previous year, after an inquiry which disclosed that over three hundred ex-military personnel had been recruited to participate in the war – an discovery that resulted in an unusual statement of regret from the Colombian government.

Former Colombian military have widely regarded as some of the most in-demand contractors globally due to their considerable warzone knowledge gleaned from decades of civil war, knowledge of Nato equipment, and elite military instruction.

Activities in Sudan

In Sudan, the contractors have allegedly instructed minors, provided drone warfare training, and participated in direct battles. One source was quoted as saying that training children was "awful and crazy" but added that "regrettably, war operates that way".

Named Entities

Among those sanctioned was a dual national, a dual Colombian-Italian national and retired Colombian military officer operating from the United Arab Emirates. The Treasury accused him a key part in recruiting and deploying ex-military personnel to Sudan. His wife, Claudia Oliveros, was similarly targeted.

Also on the restricted list was Duque Botero, a individual with Colombian and Spanish citizenship who the Treasury stated ran a firm linked to handling funds and payroll for the scheme. "Recently, US-based firms associated with Duque carried out numerous wire transfers, amounting to millions," the official announcement said.

Individual Mónica Muñoz Ucros was the other individual to be penalized, with the entity she oversaw accused of wire transfers connected to Duque and his companies.

"The United States again calls on foreign parties to stop giving financial and military support to the combatants," the department announced.

Expert Analysis

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

She added that, the Colombian government has enacted a piece of legislation ratifying the International Convention Against the Recruitment and Use of Mercenaries, aiming to curb its citizens' long history in overseas wars and transform domestic defense strategy.

Sean McFate, an expert on mercenaries, called for greater wariness, noting that "sanctions are necessary but insufficient for combating widespread use of contractors".

"This is a shadow economy and operating from Dubai, which is relatively sanction-proof," he said. The Emirati government has been widely accused of supplying weapons to the paramilitary group, claims it rejects. "More contractors from Colombia are likely," the expert cautioned.