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The United States has enforced penalties on a group of four individuals and four companies alleged of enlisting Colombian mercenaries to combat alongside and instruct a armed faction in Sudan the United States claims of acts of genocide.

Operation Structure

Disclosing the measures on Tuesday, the US Treasury Department stated the operation was largely composed of Colombian citizens and firms.

Numerous of former Colombian military personnel have been recruited to go to the conflict in Sudan to fight alongside the RSF paramilitary group, a faction accused of terrible atrocities encompassing massacres based on ethnicity and widespread kidnappings.

Emergence of Involvement

The participation of ex-soldiers initially emerged the previous year, following an investigation which revealed that over three hundred retired troops had been recruited to participate in the war – an event that resulted in an unusual statement of regret from the Colombian government.

Former Colombian military have historically been seen as some of the most in-demand contractors globally due to their extensive battlefield experience gleaned from decades of civil war, familiarity with advanced weaponry, and elite military instruction.

Activities in Sudan

In Sudan, the mercenaries have allegedly instructed underage fighters, instructed militiamen in drone operation, and participated in direct battles. A mercenary remarked that instructing minors was "terrible and insane" but added that "regrettably, war operates that way".

Sanctioned Individuals

Among those targeted was a dual national, a individual with dual citizenship and retired Colombian military officer located in the United Arab Emirates. The US authorities accused him a key part in hiring and sending mercenaries to Sudan. His spouse, Claudia Viviana Oliveros Forero, was similarly targeted.

Also on the restricted list was Mateo Andrés Duque Botero, a dual Colombian-Spanish citizen who the Treasury stated ran a firm implicated in processing money and salaries for the scheme. "In 2024 and 2025, US-based firms linked to Duque carried out numerous wire transfers, worth millions," the government release noted.

Colombian national Mónica Muñoz Ucros was the final person to be sanctioned, with the company she managed alleged to have money transfers associated with Duque and his companies.

"Washington reiterates its demand for outside forces to halt the flow of financial and military support to the combatants," the department said in a statement.

Expert Analysis

A senior analyst, from a conflict think tank, labeled the measures as a "highly important" development, saying that "targeting the enablers is the proper strategy".

It was also noted that, Colombia ratified a statute ratifying the International Convention Against the Recruitment and Use of Mercenaries, aiming to curb years of participation by its nationals in international fights and transform national security policy.

Another expert, an expert on mercenaries, called for greater wariness, noting that "penalties are required yet incomplete for addressing rampant mercenarism".

"It’s an illicit economy and centered in the UAE, which is relatively sanction-proof," he commented. The UAE has been widely accused of providing arms to the militia, an accusation it has denied. "This trend will probably continue," the expert cautioned.