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The Washington has levied restrictions on a group of four people and four firms accused of hiring South American contractors to support and educate a armed faction in Sudan the United States claims of genocidal acts.

Network Composition

Disclosing the measures on Tuesday, the Treasury stated the network was largely composed of Colombian nationals and companies.

Hundreds of retired Colombian troops have been recruited to go to the conflict in Sudan to combat beside the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a group linked to terrible atrocities including targeted ethnic killings and large-scale abductions.

Discovery of Participation

The involvement of Colombian fighters was first uncovered in 2024, after an investigation which disclosed that hundreds of ex-military personnel had been contracted to fight – an discovery that led to an rare mea culpa from officials in Bogotá.

Former Colombian military have widely regarded as some of the most in-demand contractors globally due to their vast combat experience resulting from a long-running domestic war, knowledge of advanced weaponry, and elite military instruction.

Reported Actions

In Sudan, the mercenaries have reportedly trained child soldiers, instructed militiamen in drone operation, and participated in direct battles. A mercenary previously stated that working with child soldiers was "horrific and irrational" but noted that "regrettably, war operates that way".

Sanctioned Individuals

Among those sanctioned was Álvaro Andrés Quijano Becerra, a individual with dual citizenship and retired Colombian military officer based in the United Arab Emirates. The government said he had a pivotal function in recruiting and deploying ex-military personnel to Sudan. His wife, Claudia Viviana Oliveros Forero, was also sanctioned.

Also on the penalty list was Duque Botero, a dual national who authorities say managed a business accused of handling funds and payroll for the network. "Over the past two years, American entities connected to Duque conducted several money transfers, amounting to millions," the official announcement stated.

Citizen of Colombia Mónica Muñoz Ucros was the fourth individual to be penalized, with the company she managed said to have conducted wire transfers connected to Duque and his companies.

"Washington reiterates its demand for outside forces to cease providing monetary and weaponry aid to the combatants," the department announced.

Reaction

Elizabeth Dickinson, from a conflict think tank, labeled the sanctions as a "highly important" milestone, saying that "identifying the recruiters is the right way to go".

It was also noted that, Bogotá has enacted a piece of legislation approving the anti-mercenary convention, seeking to reduce decades of Colombian involvement in overseas wars and transform domestic defense strategy.

A mercenary specialist, an expert on mercenaries, urged more caution, noting that "sanctions are necessary but insufficient for dealing with rampant mercenarism".

"It operates in the black market and based out of Dubai, which is relatively sanction-proof," he commented. The UAE has been frequently alleged of providing arms to the militia, claims it rejects. "This trend will probably continue," he advised.