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The Washington has levied restrictions on a operation of several persons and entities alleged of hiring South American contractors to combat alongside and instruct a armed faction in Sudan the United States claims of acts of genocide.

Group Makeup

Revealing the restrictions on this week, the American treasury stated the scheme was largely composed of individuals and businesses from Colombia.

Scores of retired Colombian troops have reportedly travelled to the conflict in Sudan to operate with the Sudanese RSF militia, a force linked to horrific war crimes such as massacres based on ethnicity and widespread kidnappings.

Emergence of Involvement

The role of these mercenaries initially emerged the previous year, after an inquiry which disclosed that over three hundred ex-military personnel had been hired to participate in the war – an event that led to an unprecedented apology from Colombia’s foreign ministry.

Colombian ex-soldiers have long been considered as highly prized fighters in conflict zones due to their vast combat experience resulting from decades of civil war, training on Nato equipment, and superior tactical education.

Role in the Conflict

In the conflict, the contractors have allegedly instructed child soldiers, provided drone warfare training, and fought directly on the frontlines. A mercenary remarked that working with child soldiers was "terrible and insane" but added that "regrettably, war operates that way".

Sanctioned Individuals

Among those sanctioned was Álvaro Andrés Quijano Becerra, a citizen of both Colombia and Italy and former army officer based in the UAE. The US authorities accused him a central role in recruiting and deploying ex-military personnel to Sudan. His wife, Claudia Oliveros, was also sanctioned.

Also on the restricted list was Duque Botero, a individual with Colombian and Spanish citizenship who the Treasury stated ran a firm accused of handling funds and payroll for the recruitment operation. "Over the past two years, US-based firms linked to Duque carried out numerous wire transfers, totalling millions of US dollars," the government release said.

Individual Mónica Muñoz Ucros was the other individual to be penalized, with the company she managed said to have conducted financial transactions associated with Duque and his businesses.

"The United States again calls on foreign parties to halt the flow of funding and arms to the combatants," the Treasury stated.

Reaction

An expert, senior analyst at the International Crisis Group, described the actions as a "major" development, noting that "calling out those who are doing the contracting is the correct approach".

She added that, the Colombian government has enacted a piece of legislation approving the global treaty against mercenarism, designed to limit years of participation by its nationals in foreign conflicts and reshape national security policy.

Sean McFate, a scholar on the subject, called for greater wariness, saying that "restrictions are needed but not enough for combating the growing mercenary trade".

"It’s an illicit economy and centered in the UAE, which is difficult to penalize," he commented. The Emirati government has been widely accused of arming the RSF, allegations it disputes. "More contractors from Colombia are likely," the expert cautioned.