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The Washington has enforced penalties on a group of four people and four firms alleged of hiring Colombian mercenaries to support and educate a Sudanese paramilitary group which the US alleges of committing genocide.

Group Makeup

Announcing the sanctions on this week, the Treasury stated the operation was largely composed of Colombian citizens and firms.

Scores of retired Colombian troops have allegedly journeyed to the Sudanese warzone to operate with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a group implicated in terrible atrocities such as targeted ethnic killings and mass abductions.

Revelation of Role

The involvement of Colombian fighters initially emerged last year, prompted by an report which found that over three hundred ex-military personnel had been recruited to fight – an discovery that led to an unusual statement of regret from the Colombian government.

Colombian ex-soldiers have widely regarded as among the world’s most sought-after mercenaries due to their vast combat experience gleaned from years of internal conflict, training on Western military gear, and superior tactical education.

Reported Actions

In the Sudanese theater, the Colombians have reportedly trained underage fighters, taught fighters to pilot drones, and participated in direct battles. An individual involved was quoted as saying that training children was "terrible and insane" but noted that "unfortunately that’s how war is".

Sanctioned Individuals

Among those targeted was a retired Colombian officer, a dual Colombian-Italian national and former army officer operating from the Dubai. The US authorities alleged he played a key part in enlisting and transporting former Colombian soldiers to Sudan. His wife, Claudia Viviana Oliveros Forero, was penalized as well.

Also on the restricted list was Mateo Andrés Duque Botero, a dual Colombian-Spanish citizen who the Treasury stated oversaw a company accused of managing finances and payments for the recruitment operation. "Recently, American entities connected to Duque engaged in numerous wire transfers, totalling millions of US dollars," the Treasury statement noted.

Colombian national Mónica Muñoz was the final person to be sanctioned, with the firm she operated said to have conducted money transfers connected to Duque and his businesses.

"Washington reiterates its demand for outside forces to cease providing monetary and weaponry aid to the warring parties," the agency stated.

Analyst Commentary

An expert, senior analyst at the International Crisis Group, called the sanctions as a "highly important" milestone, saying that "identifying the recruiters is the correct approach".

It was also noted that, Colombia recently passed a law ratifying the anti-mercenary convention, seeking to reduce years of participation by its nationals in international fights and reshape national security policy.

A mercenary specialist, a authority on private military contractors, advised additional measures, noting that "restrictions are needed but not enough for combating rampant mercenarism".

"It operates in the black market and based out of the Emirates, which is largely insulated from sanctions," he said. The UAE has been repeatedly implicated of supplying weapons to the paramilitary group, an accusation it has denied. "More contractors from Colombia are likely," he advised.