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The Washington has imposed sanctions on a group of four individuals and four companies alleged of hiring former Colombian soldiers to fight for and train a militia force in Sudan which the US alleges of acts of genocide.

Group Makeup

Announcing the measures on this week, the American treasury stated the network was primarily made up of Colombian nationals and companies.

Scores of retired Colombian troops have allegedly journeyed to Sudan to combat beside the Sudanese RSF militia, a faction implicated in terrible atrocities such as targeted ethnic killings and large-scale abductions.

Discovery of Participation

The role of these mercenaries was first uncovered last year, prompted by an inquiry which revealed that hundreds of ex-military personnel had been hired to fight – an event that resulted in an rare mea culpa from Colombia’s foreign ministry.

Colombian ex-soldiers have long been considered as among the world’s most sought-after mercenaries due to their extensive battlefield experience gleaned from a long-running domestic war, familiarity with Western military gear, and elite military instruction.

Reported Actions

In the Sudanese theater, the contractors have reportedly trained underage fighters, provided drone warfare training, and participated in direct battles. A mercenary was quoted as saying that training children was "awful and crazy" but commented that "regrettably, war operates that way".

Sanctioned Individuals

Among those targeted was Álvaro Andrés Quijano Becerra, a individual with dual citizenship and ex-soldier located in the Dubai. The Treasury said he had a central role in hiring and sending mercenaries 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 authorities say oversaw a company linked to managing finances and payments for the scheme. "Recently, companies in the United States connected to Duque conducted numerous wire transfers, worth millions," the official announcement noted.

Individual Mónica Muñoz was the fourth individual to be sanctioned, with the firm she operated accused of wire transfers connected to Duque and his businesses.

"The United States again calls on external actors to stop giving financial and military support to the warring parties," the agency stated.

Analyst Commentary

A senior analyst, from a conflict think tank, labeled the measures as a "very significant" development, stating that "targeting the enablers is the correct approach".

Furthermore, Colombia has enacted a piece of legislation approving the global treaty against mercenarism, aiming to curb decades of Colombian involvement in foreign conflicts and transform domestic defense strategy.

Sean McFate, an expert on mercenaries, advised additional measures, saying that "sanctions are necessary but insufficient for dealing with rampant mercenarism".

"This is a shadow economy and centered in the UAE, which is relatively sanction-proof," he said. The UAE has been widely accused of providing arms to the militia, an accusation it has denied. "More contractors from Colombia are likely," McFate warned.