🔗 Share this article Washington Levies Restrictions on Group Alleged of Channeling South American Fighters to Sudan. The Washington has enforced penalties on a network of several persons and entities accused of enlisting South American contractors to support and educate a militia force in Sudan the United States claims of genocidal acts. Network Composition Revealing the restrictions on this week, the American treasury stated the network was mostly comprised of individuals and businesses from Colombia. Scores of retired Colombian troops have been recruited to go to the Sudanese warzone to operate with the RSF paramilitary group, a faction implicated in severe violations such as targeted ethnic killings and widespread kidnappings. Revelation of Role The role of these mercenaries initially emerged the previous year, following an inquiry which found that hundreds of ex-military personnel had been recruited to engage in combat – an discovery that resulted in an rare mea culpa from the Colombian government. Former Colombian military have historically been seen as among the world’s most sought-after mercenaries due to their considerable warzone knowledge acquired during decades of civil war, familiarity with Western military gear, and high-level combat training. Role in the Conflict In the Sudanese theater, the contractors have reportedly trained underage fighters, provided drone warfare training, and participated in direct battles. A mercenary previously stated that training children was "awful and crazy" but commented that "unfortunately that’s how war is". Targeted Persons Among those sanctioned was a retired Colombian officer, a individual with dual citizenship and retired Colombian military officer based in the United Arab Emirates. The US authorities alleged he played a key part in enlisting and transporting former Colombian soldiers to Sudan. His spouse, Claudia Oliveros, was similarly targeted. Also on the restricted list was Mateo Andrés Duque Botero, a dual national who the Treasury stated ran a firm accused of managing finances and payments for the recruitment operation. "Over the past two years, US-based firms associated with Duque engaged in several money transfers, worth millions," the Treasury statement noted. Colombian national Mónica Muñoz Ucros was the fourth individual to be sanctioned, with the company she managed accused of money transfers connected to Duque and his businesses. "The United States again calls on outside forces to halt the flow of funding and arms to the combatants," the Treasury announced. Analyst Commentary A senior analyst, from a conflict think tank, called the sanctions as a "highly important" development, stating that "calling out those who are doing the contracting is the proper strategy". It was also noted that, the Colombian government has enacted a law approving the International Convention Against the Recruitment and Use of Mercenaries, aiming to curb its citizens' long history in international fights and reshape national security policy. A mercenary specialist, a authority on private military contractors, urged more caution, noting that "restrictions are needed but not enough for dealing with rampant mercenarism". "It operates in the black market and centered in Dubai, which is relatively sanction-proof," he stated. The Emirati government has been frequently alleged of providing arms to the militia, an accusation it has denied. "This trend will probably continue," he advised.