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The US government has enforced penalties on a group of several persons and entities accused of hiring South American contractors to fight for and train a armed faction in Sudan which the US alleges of genocidal acts.

Network Composition

Announcing the measures on this week, the Treasury stated the network was primarily made up of individuals and businesses from Colombia.

Scores of retired Colombian troops have been recruited to go to the Sudanese warzone to fight alongside the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a faction implicated in horrific war crimes encompassing massacres based on ethnicity and mass abductions.

Discovery of Participation

The role of these mercenaries was first uncovered last year, after an report which disclosed that hundreds of retired troops had been hired to participate in the war – an revelation that resulted in an rare mea culpa from the Colombian government.

These South American veterans have historically been seen as among the world’s most sought-after mercenaries due to their extensive battlefield experience acquired during years of internal conflict, training on Nato equipment, and superior tactical education.

Reported Actions

In Sudan, the contractors have been accused of teaching minors, taught fighters to pilot drones, and engaged in frontline combat. One source previously stated that training children was "terrible and insane" but noted that "unfortunately that’s how war is".

Named Entities

Among those targeted was a dual national, a citizen of both Colombia and Italy and former army officer based in the Dubai. The Treasury alleged he played a pivotal function in recruiting and deploying mercenaries to Sudan. His wife, Claudia Oliveros, was penalized as well.

Also on the sanctions list was Mateo Andrés Duque Botero, a dual national who the Treasury stated ran a firm accused of handling funds and payroll for the scheme. "Recently, US-based firms connected to Duque engaged in several money transfers, worth millions," the official announcement stated.

Colombian national Mónica Muñoz Ucros was the fourth individual to be penalized, with the firm she operated said to have conducted financial transactions connected to Duque and his operations.

"The United States again calls on foreign parties to cease providing monetary and weaponry aid to the belligerents," the department said in a statement.

Analyst Commentary

A senior analyst, from a conflict think tank, described the measures as a "major" step, noting that "calling out those who are doing the contracting is the right way to go".

Furthermore, the Colombian government has enacted a statute ratifying the anti-mercenary convention, aiming to curb years of participation by its nationals in foreign conflicts and reshape national security policy.

Another expert, a scholar on the subject, called for greater wariness, stating that "penalties are required yet incomplete for addressing widespread use of contractors".

"This is a shadow economy and centered in the UAE, which is largely insulated from sanctions," he said. The United Arab Emirates has been repeatedly implicated of arming the RSF, claims it rejects. "More contractors from Colombia are likely," the expert cautioned.