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The US government has enforced penalties on a group of several persons and entities alleged of recruiting South American contractors to fight for and train a Sudanese paramilitary group the United States claims of genocidal acts.

Group Makeup

Revealing the measures on Tuesday, the US Treasury Department stated the operation was primarily made up of individuals and businesses from Colombia.

Scores of retired Colombian troops have been recruited to go to the conflict in Sudan to fight alongside the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a force accused of severe violations such as massacres based on ethnicity and mass abductions.

Emergence of Involvement

The involvement of Colombian fighters was first uncovered the previous year, prompted by an report which disclosed that hundreds of retired troops had been recruited to engage in combat – an revelation that resulted in an unusual statement of regret from Colombia’s foreign ministry.

Colombian ex-soldiers have long been considered as among the world’s most sought-after mercenaries due to their extensive battlefield experience acquired during years of internal conflict, training on Western military gear, and high-level combat training.

Role in the Conflict

In the conflict, the Colombians have allegedly instructed child soldiers, provided drone warfare training, and engaged in frontline combat. One source remarked that working with child soldiers was "horrific and irrational" but commented that "unfortunately that’s how war is".

Sanctioned Individuals

Among those sanctioned was a retired Colombian officer, a dual Colombian-Italian national and former army officer located in the United Arab Emirates. The US authorities alleged he played a pivotal function in enlisting and transporting former Colombian soldiers to Sudan. His spouse, Claudia Oliveros, was penalized as well.

Also on the sanctions list was Mateo Duque Botero, a individual with Colombian and Spanish citizenship who the Treasury stated oversaw a company linked to managing finances and payments for the recruitment operation. "Over the past two years, companies in the United States linked to Duque engaged in multiple financial transactions, amounting to millions," the Treasury statement noted.

Colombian national Mónica Muñoz was the final person to be penalized, with the company she managed accused of wire transfers linked to Duque and his companies.

"Washington reiterates its demand for foreign parties to cease providing funding and arms to the warring parties," the Treasury stated.

Analyst Commentary

Elizabeth Dickinson, with the International Crisis Group, labeled the sanctions as a "major" milestone, noting that "calling out those who are doing the contracting is the correct approach".

It was also noted that, Bogotá has enacted a piece of legislation ratifying the anti-mercenary convention, seeking to reduce decades of Colombian involvement in international fights and transform national security policy.

Sean McFate, a authority on private military contractors, urged more caution, saying that "sanctions are necessary but insufficient for addressing widespread use of contractors".

"This is a shadow economy and operating from the UAE, which is relatively sanction-proof," he stated. The United Arab Emirates has been widely accused of supplying weapons to the paramilitary group, claims it rejects. "More contractors from Colombia are likely," the expert cautioned.