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The United States has enforced penalties on a group of four individuals and four companies alleged of recruiting South American contractors to fight for and train a militia force in Sudan which the US alleges of acts of genocide.

Group Makeup

Announcing the restrictions on Tuesday, the US Treasury Department stated the operation was largely composed of individuals and businesses from Colombia.

Numerous of ex-soldiers from Colombia have been recruited to go to the conflict in Sudan to operate with the Sudanese RSF militia, a faction accused of horrific war crimes encompassing massacres based on ethnicity and large-scale abductions.

Emergence of Involvement

The role of these mercenaries first came to light last year, after an report which disclosed that hundreds of former soldiers had been contracted to engage in combat – an event that led to an unprecedented apology from the Colombian government.

Colombian ex-soldiers have long been considered as highly prized fighters in conflict zones due to their extensive battlefield experience acquired during years of internal conflict, training on advanced weaponry, and elite military instruction.

Activities in Sudan

In the conflict, the mercenaries have reportedly trained child soldiers, taught fighters to pilot drones, and fought directly on the frontlines. An individual involved previously stated that working with child soldiers was "terrible and insane" but noted that "regrettably, war operates that way".

Named Entities

Among those penalized was Álvaro Andrés Quijano Becerra, a dual Colombian-Italian national and retired Colombian military officer operating from the UAE. The Treasury accused him a central role in enlisting and transporting mercenaries to Sudan. His wife, Claudia Viviana Oliveros Forero, was similarly targeted.

Also on the penalty list was Mateo Duque Botero, a dual Colombian-Spanish citizen who authorities say managed a business linked to managing finances and payments for the recruitment operation. "Over the past two years, companies in the United States linked to Duque conducted numerous wire transfers, totalling millions of US dollars," the government release said.

Individual Mónica Muñoz was the final person to be sanctioned, with the firm she operated accused of wire transfers connected to Duque and his businesses.

"The United States again calls on foreign parties to halt the flow of funding and arms to the combatants," the department announced.

Analyst Commentary

Elizabeth Dickinson, from a conflict think tank, labeled the sanctions as a "very significant" step, stating that "targeting the enablers is the right way to go".

She added that, Colombia ratified a piece of legislation endorsing the global treaty against mercenarism, aiming to curb its citizens' long history in foreign conflicts and transform national security policy.

Sean McFate, a scholar on the subject, advised additional measures, noting that "sanctions are necessary but insufficient for combating rampant mercenarism".

"This is a shadow economy and centered in the UAE, which is largely insulated from sanctions," he said. The Emirati government has been frequently alleged of supplying weapons to the paramilitary group, claims it rejects. "Expect more Colombian mercenaries," McFate warned.