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The US government has enforced penalties on a group of four individuals and four companies alleged of hiring South American contractors to combat alongside and instruct a militia force in Sudan which the US alleges of committing genocide.

Group Makeup

Disclosing the restrictions on this week, the Treasury stated the network was primarily made up of Colombian citizens and firms.

Numerous of retired Colombian troops have allegedly journeyed to Sudan to combat beside the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a faction linked to severe violations such as targeted ethnic killings and mass abductions.

Discovery of Participation

The participation of ex-soldiers was first uncovered the previous year, following an report which found that more than 300 retired troops had been recruited to participate in the war – an discovery that resulted in an rare mea culpa from officials in Bogotá.

Former Colombian military have historically been seen as among the world’s most sought-after mercenaries due to their considerable warzone knowledge resulting from decades of civil war, familiarity with Western military gear, and elite military instruction.

Role in the Conflict

In the Sudanese theater, the Colombians have been accused of teaching minors, provided drone warfare training, and engaged in frontline combat. A mercenary remarked that training children was "awful and crazy" but noted that "unfortunately that’s how war is".

Named Entities

Among those penalized was a retired Colombian officer, a dual Colombian-Italian national and ex-soldier based in the UAE. The US authorities accused him a central role in enlisting and transporting mercenaries to Sudan. His spouse, Claudia Oliveros, was penalized as well.

Also on the restricted list was Duque Botero, a dual Colombian-Spanish citizen who authorities say managed a business implicated in processing money and salaries for the network. "Recently, US-based firms associated with Duque engaged in several money transfers, totalling millions of US dollars," the government release noted.

Citizen of Colombia Mónica Muñoz was the final person to be penalized, with the company she managed said to have conducted money transfers connected to Duque and his companies.

"The US once more urges foreign parties to halt the flow of monetary and weaponry aid to the warring parties," the Treasury stated.

Analyst Commentary

A senior analyst, with the International Crisis Group, called the measures as a "very significant" milestone, saying that "calling out those who are doing the contracting is the right way to go".

She added that, Bogotá has enacted a law approving the International Convention Against the Recruitment and Use of Mercenaries, designed to limit its citizens' long history in international fights and transform national security policy.

Sean McFate, an expert on mercenaries, urged more caution, stating that "restrictions are needed but not enough for addressing widespread use of contractors".

"It’s an illicit economy and centered in the UAE, which is difficult to penalize," he said. The UAE has been repeatedly implicated of arming the RSF, claims it rejects. "More contractors from Colombia are likely," he advised.