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The United States has levied restrictions on a group of four individuals and four companies accused of enlisting Colombian mercenaries to fight for and train a militia force in Sudan that Washington accuses of genocidal acts.

Network Composition

Announcing the restrictions on Tuesday, the Treasury stated the network was primarily made up of individuals and businesses from Colombia.

Scores of former Colombian military personnel have allegedly journeyed to the Sudanese warzone to fight alongside the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a faction implicated in horrific war crimes such as targeted ethnic killings and widespread kidnappings.

Emergence of Involvement

The participation of ex-soldiers initially emerged the previous year, following an report which disclosed that hundreds of ex-military personnel had been contracted to fight – an event that led to an rare mea culpa from officials in Bogotá.

Colombian ex-soldiers have widely regarded as highly prized fighters in conflict zones due to their vast combat experience gleaned from a long-running domestic war, familiarity with Nato equipment, and elite military instruction.

Reported Actions

In the Sudanese theater, the mercenaries have allegedly instructed minors, provided drone warfare training, and participated in direct battles. An individual involved previously stated that training children was "horrific and irrational" but commented that "sadly, that is the nature of conflict".

Named Entities

Among those sanctioned was Álvaro Andrés Quijano Becerra, a dual Colombian-Italian national and ex-soldier based in the UAE. The government accused him a central role in enlisting and transporting mercenaries to Sudan. His spouse, Claudia Viviana Oliveros Forero, was penalized as well.

Also on the penalty list was Duque Botero, a dual Colombian-Spanish citizen who authorities say managed a business linked to managing finances and payments for the network. "Recently, companies in the United States associated with Duque engaged in multiple financial transactions, worth millions," the Treasury statement stated.

Citizen of Colombia Mónica Muñoz was the other individual to be targeted, with the company she managed accused of money transfers associated with Duque and his businesses.

"The US once more urges foreign parties to stop giving financial and military support to the belligerents," the department announced.

Expert Analysis

Elizabeth Dickinson, with the International Crisis Group, described the sanctions as a "very significant" development, stating that "targeting the enablers is the proper strategy".

Furthermore, the Colombian government recently passed a piece of legislation ratifying the global treaty against mercenarism, aiming to curb years of participation by its nationals in overseas wars and change its security approach.

A mercenary specialist, a scholar on the subject, urged more caution, stating that "restrictions are needed but not enough for addressing the growing mercenary trade".

"This is a shadow economy and based out of Dubai, which is relatively sanction-proof," he stated. The UAE has been repeatedly implicated of providing arms to the militia, allegations it disputes. "More contractors from Colombia are likely," McFate warned.