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The Washington has levied restrictions on a group of four individuals and four companies charged of enlisting former Colombian soldiers to fight for and train a armed faction in Sudan the United States claims of genocidal acts.

Operation Structure

Announcing the restrictions on Tuesday, the American treasury stated the scheme was largely composed of individuals and businesses from Colombia.

Hundreds of retired Colombian troops have allegedly journeyed to Sudan to fight alongside the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a group accused of terrible atrocities such as massacres based on ethnicity and mass abductions.

Discovery of Participation

The involvement of Colombian fighters initially emerged the previous year, prompted by an investigation which revealed that more than 300 ex-military personnel had been hired to engage in combat – an event that resulted in an unusual statement of regret from Colombia’s foreign ministry.

Former Colombian military have long been considered as some of the most in-demand contractors globally due to their extensive battlefield experience resulting from a long-running domestic war, knowledge of advanced weaponry, and superior tactical education.

Activities in Sudan

In the Sudanese theater, the mercenaries have been accused of teaching child soldiers, instructed militiamen in drone operation, and participated in direct battles. A mercenary was quoted as saying that training children was "awful and crazy" but noted that "sadly, that is the nature of conflict".

Sanctioned Individuals

Among those targeted was a dual national, a dual Colombian-Italian national and retired Colombian military officer located in the UAE. The Treasury said he had a central role in recruiting and deploying former Colombian soldiers to Sudan. His spouse, Claudia Oliveros, was similarly targeted.

Also on the restricted list was Duque Botero, a dual national who officials alleged oversaw a company linked to processing money and salaries for the scheme. "Over the past two years, companies in the United States linked to Duque conducted numerous wire transfers, worth millions," the official announcement stated.

Citizen of Colombia Mónica Muñoz Ucros was the fourth individual to be targeted, with the firm she operated accused of money transfers associated with Duque and his operations.

"The US once more urges external actors to halt the flow of monetary and weaponry aid to the combatants," the Treasury announced.

Expert Analysis

A senior analyst, from a conflict think tank, called the actions as a "very significant" step, noting that "identifying the recruiters is the right way to go".

She added that, Bogotá ratified a statute approving the anti-mercenary convention, aiming to curb decades of Colombian involvement in overseas wars and transform domestic defense strategy.

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

"It operates in the black market and operating from the UAE, which is relatively sanction-proof," he commented. The United Arab Emirates has been widely accused of supplying weapons to the paramilitary group, an accusation it has denied. "Expect more Colombian mercenaries," he advised.