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The Washington has enforced penalties on a operation of several persons and entities charged of recruiting former Colombian soldiers to support and educate a armed faction in Sudan that Washington accuses of genocidal acts.

Network Composition

Revealing the sanctions on Tuesday, the American treasury stated the network was largely composed of individuals and businesses from Colombia.

Scores of retired Colombian troops have been recruited to go to the Sudanese warzone to fight alongside the Sudanese RSF militia, a group accused of terrible atrocities including ethnically targeted slaughter and large-scale abductions.

Discovery of Participation

The involvement of Colombian fighters initially emerged last year, following an investigation which revealed that hundreds of retired troops had been recruited to participate in the war – an revelation that led to an unusual statement of regret from Colombia’s foreign ministry.

These South American veterans have historically been seen as some of the most in-demand contractors globally due to their vast combat experience resulting from a long-running domestic war, familiarity with advanced weaponry, and elite military instruction.

Role in the Conflict

In the conflict, the mercenaries have been accused of teaching underage fighters, provided drone warfare training, and fought directly on the frontlines. A mercenary previously stated that training children was "awful and crazy" but added that "regrettably, war operates that way".

Sanctioned Individuals

Among those penalized was a dual national, a citizen of both Colombia and Italy and ex-soldier based in the United Arab Emirates. The US authorities alleged he played a pivotal function in hiring and sending former Colombian soldiers to Sudan. His wife, Claudia Oliveros, was also sanctioned.

Also on the sanctions list was Mateo Duque Botero, a dual Colombian-Spanish citizen who the Treasury stated ran a firm linked to managing finances and payments for the recruitment operation. "Over the past two years, American entities associated with Duque engaged in numerous wire transfers, worth millions," the government release said.

Citizen of Colombia Mónica Muñoz was the other individual to be targeted, with the entity she oversaw said to have conducted wire transfers connected to Duque and his operations.

"Washington reiterates its demand for external actors to halt the flow of monetary and weaponry aid to the belligerents," the agency said in a statement.

Analyst Commentary

An expert, with the International Crisis Group, labeled the sanctions as a "highly important" milestone, noting that "calling out those who are doing the contracting is the right way to go".

Furthermore, the Colombian government recently passed a statute ratifying the International Convention Against the Recruitment and Use of Mercenaries, designed to limit years of participation by its nationals in foreign conflicts and reshape its security approach.

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

"This is a shadow economy and based out of Dubai, which is largely insulated from sanctions," he said. The UAE has been frequently alleged of providing arms to the militia, claims it rejects. "More contractors from Colombia are likely," he advised.