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The Washington has enforced penalties on a network of several persons and entities charged of hiring former Colombian soldiers to support and educate a militia force in Sudan the United States claims of committing genocide.

Operation Structure

Revealing the measures on this week, the US Treasury Department stated the scheme was largely composed of Colombian citizens and firms.

Scores of ex-soldiers from Colombia have been recruited to go to the conflict in Sudan to operate with the Sudanese RSF militia, a group linked to terrible atrocities including targeted ethnic killings and large-scale abductions.

Emergence of Involvement

The involvement of Colombian fighters was first uncovered last year, following an report which found that hundreds of retired troops had been hired to participate in the war – an discovery that prompted an unusual statement of regret from officials in Bogotá.

These South American veterans have historically been seen as highly prized fighters in conflict zones due to their vast combat experience resulting from decades of civil war, training on Western military gear, and superior tactical education.

Reported Actions

In the Sudanese theater, the contractors have allegedly instructed minors, instructed militiamen in drone operation, and engaged in frontline combat. An individual involved remarked that working with child soldiers was "awful and crazy" but added that "regrettably, war operates that way".

Sanctioned Individuals

Among those penalized was Álvaro Andrés Quijano Becerra, a citizen of both Colombia and Italy and retired Colombian military officer operating from the United Arab Emirates. The US authorities said he had a pivotal function in hiring and sending mercenaries to Sudan. His spouse, Claudia Oliveros, was similarly targeted.

Also on the restricted list was Duque Botero, a individual with Colombian and Spanish citizenship who officials alleged oversaw a company linked to handling funds and payroll for the network. "Recently, US-based firms linked to Duque conducted several money transfers, totalling millions of US dollars," the Treasury statement stated.

Colombian national Mónica Muñoz was the final person to be penalized, with the firm she operated said to have conducted wire transfers linked to Duque and his businesses.

"The US once more urges external actors to cease providing financial and military support to the belligerents," the Treasury said in a statement.

Expert Analysis

An expert, senior analyst at the International Crisis Group, described the actions as a "very significant" step, saying that "targeting the enablers is the proper strategy".

Furthermore, the Colombian government has enacted a statute ratifying the International Convention Against the Recruitment and Use of Mercenaries, designed to limit years of participation by its nationals in overseas wars and reshape national security policy.

Another expert, a authority on private military contractors, urged more caution, stating that "penalties are required yet incomplete for combating the growing mercenary trade".

"This is a shadow economy and centered in the UAE, which is largely insulated from sanctions," he stated. The UAE has been frequently alleged of supplying weapons to the paramilitary group, an accusation it has denied. "More contractors from Colombia are likely," McFate warned.