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The US government has levied restrictions on a operation of several persons and entities charged of hiring South American contractors to support and educate a Sudanese paramilitary group which the US alleges of committing genocide.

Operation Structure

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

Numerous of former Colombian military personnel have been recruited to go to the conflict in Sudan to combat beside the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a force implicated in severe violations such as massacres based on ethnicity and large-scale abductions.

Revelation of Role

The role of these mercenaries was first uncovered the previous year, prompted by an inquiry which revealed that hundreds of former soldiers had been recruited to participate in the war – an discovery that prompted an unprecedented apology from the Colombian government.

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, familiarity with Western military gear, and high-level combat training.

Reported Actions

In the conflict, the Colombians have reportedly trained minors, provided drone warfare training, and participated in direct battles. One source previously stated that training children was "terrible and insane" but commented that "sadly, that is the nature of conflict".

Named Entities

Among those targeted was a retired Colombian officer, a individual with dual citizenship and ex-soldier located in the UAE. The US authorities alleged he played a pivotal function 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 officials alleged oversaw a company accused of handling funds and payroll for the network. "Over the past two years, American entities linked to Duque conducted numerous wire transfers, worth millions," the government release said.

Colombian national Mónica Muñoz was the fourth individual to be penalized, with the company she managed said to have conducted wire transfers linked to Duque and his businesses.

"The US once more urges external actors to cease providing funding and arms to the warring parties," the agency said in a statement.

Expert Analysis

A senior analyst, from a conflict think tank, labeled the sanctions as a "highly important" milestone, noting that "identifying the recruiters is the right way to go".

Furthermore, the Colombian government recently passed a piece of legislation ratifying the global treaty against mercenarism, aiming to curb years of participation by its nationals in foreign conflicts and change domestic defense strategy.

A mercenary specialist, an expert on mercenaries, called for greater wariness, noting that "penalties are required yet incomplete for combating widespread use of contractors".

"It’s an illicit economy and operating from Dubai, which is largely insulated from sanctions," he said. The Emirati government has been repeatedly implicated of supplying weapons to the paramilitary group, claims it rejects. "Expect more Colombian mercenaries," he advised.