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The Washington has levied restrictions on a operation of four people and four firms charged of enlisting South American contractors to combat alongside and instruct a armed faction in Sudan that Washington accuses of genocidal acts.

Operation Structure

Announcing the restrictions on this week, the US Treasury Department stated the operation was largely composed of Colombian nationals and companies.

Hundreds of ex-soldiers from Colombia have been recruited to go to the conflict in Sudan to operate with the RSF paramilitary group, a force implicated in severe violations including massacres based on ethnicity and mass abductions.

Discovery of Participation

The involvement of Colombian fighters initially emerged the previous year, after an inquiry which disclosed that over three hundred former soldiers had been recruited to fight – an discovery that prompted an rare mea culpa from Colombia’s foreign ministry.

Former Colombian military have historically been seen as highly prized fighters in conflict zones due to their extensive battlefield experience resulting from decades of civil war, familiarity with advanced weaponry, and high-level combat training.

Role in the Conflict

In the conflict, the contractors have reportedly trained underage fighters, instructed militiamen in drone operation, and fought directly on the frontlines. One source remarked that instructing minors was "awful and crazy" but noted that "regrettably, war operates that way".

Named Entities

Among those penalized was a retired Colombian officer, a citizen of both Colombia and Italy and retired Colombian military officer located in the United Arab Emirates. The Treasury said he had a key part in hiring and sending ex-military personnel to Sudan. His spouse, Claudia Oliveros, was similarly targeted.

Also on the penalty list was Mateo Duque Botero, a dual Colombian-Spanish citizen who the Treasury stated ran a firm linked to handling funds and payroll for the recruitment operation. "Recently, companies in the United States linked to Duque engaged in several money transfers, totalling millions of US dollars," the Treasury statement said.

Citizen of Colombia Mónica Muñoz Ucros was the final person to be penalized, with the entity she oversaw accused of wire transfers connected to Duque and his businesses.

"Washington reiterates its demand for foreign parties to stop giving financial and military support to the belligerents," the agency stated.

Expert Analysis

Elizabeth Dickinson, from a conflict think tank, described the sanctions as a "major" development, saying that "identifying the recruiters is the proper strategy".

It was also noted that, the Colombian government has enacted a statute endorsing the International Convention Against the Recruitment and Use of Mercenaries, seeking to reduce its citizens' long history in overseas wars and reshape national security policy.

A mercenary specialist, an expert on mercenaries, called for greater wariness, saying that "restrictions are needed but not enough for dealing with rampant mercenarism".

"It’s an illicit economy and based out of the UAE, which is difficult to penalize," he stated. The Emirati government has been repeatedly implicated of supplying weapons to the paramilitary group, an accusation it has denied. "More contractors from Colombia are likely," the expert cautioned.