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The US government has enforced penalties on a operation of four people and four firms alleged of hiring South American contractors to fight for and train a armed faction in Sudan that Washington accuses of committing genocide.

Group Makeup

Revealing the measures on this week, the Treasury stated the network was mostly comprised of Colombian nationals and companies.

Scores of retired Colombian troops have been recruited to go to the Sudanese warzone to operate with the Sudanese RSF militia, a force implicated in severe violations encompassing massacres based on ethnicity and widespread kidnappings.

Emergence of Involvement

The participation of ex-soldiers was first uncovered the previous year, after an report which revealed that hundreds of ex-military personnel had been hired to participate in the war – an revelation that prompted an rare mea culpa from Colombia’s foreign ministry.

Former Colombian military have long been considered as among the world’s most sought-after mercenaries due to their vast combat experience resulting from decades of civil war, knowledge of Nato equipment, and superior tactical education.

Role in the Conflict

In Sudan, the Colombians have allegedly instructed child soldiers, instructed militiamen in drone operation, and participated in direct battles. One source was quoted as saying that working with child soldiers was "horrific and irrational" but added that "regrettably, war operates that way".

Targeted Persons

Among those penalized was a dual national, a individual with dual citizenship and former army officer operating from the United Arab Emirates. The government said he had a central role in hiring and sending ex-military personnel to Sudan. His spouse, Claudia Oliveros, was penalized as well.

Also on the sanctions list was Duque Botero, a dual Colombian-Spanish citizen who the Treasury stated managed a business accused of managing finances and payments for the scheme. "Over the past two years, companies in the United States linked to Duque engaged in several money transfers, amounting to millions," the Treasury statement stated.

Citizen of Colombia Mónica Muñoz Ucros was the fourth individual to be sanctioned, with the firm she operated said to have conducted wire transfers linked to Duque and his operations.

"The US once more urges foreign parties to stop giving monetary and weaponry aid to the warring parties," the agency announced.

Expert Analysis

Elizabeth Dickinson, from a conflict think tank, called the actions as a "very significant" development, noting that "targeting the enablers is the correct approach".

It was also noted that, the Colombian government ratified a statute endorsing the global treaty against mercenarism, designed to limit decades of Colombian involvement in overseas wars and transform domestic defense strategy.

Another expert, a scholar on the subject, urged more caution, stating that "sanctions are necessary but insufficient for dealing with the growing mercenary trade".

"It operates in the black market and operating from the UAE, which is largely insulated from sanctions," he commented. The UAE has been widely accused of arming the RSF, claims it rejects. "This trend will probably continue," he advised.