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The Washington has levied restrictions on a operation of four people and four firms alleged of recruiting South American contractors to fight for and train a Sudanese paramilitary group the United States claims of genocidal acts.

Group Makeup

Disclosing the restrictions on Tuesday, the Treasury stated the network was mostly comprised of Colombian citizens and firms.

Scores of retired Colombian troops have allegedly journeyed to Sudan to fight alongside the RSF paramilitary group, a group implicated in severe violations including ethnically targeted slaughter and large-scale abductions.

Emergence of Involvement

The role of these mercenaries was first uncovered last year, prompted by an report which revealed that over three hundred retired troops had been recruited to fight – an discovery that prompted an rare mea culpa from the Colombian government.

Former Colombian military have historically been seen as highly prized fighters in conflict zones due to their extensive battlefield experience gleaned from a long-running domestic war, knowledge of advanced weaponry, and high-level combat training.

Activities in Sudan

In Sudan, the contractors have reportedly trained minors, taught fighters to pilot drones, and participated in direct battles. One source was quoted as saying that training children was "awful and crazy" but commented that "sadly, that is the nature of conflict".

Sanctioned Individuals

Among those targeted was Álvaro Andrés Quijano Becerra, a citizen of both Colombia and Italy and ex-soldier operating from the Dubai. The government accused him a central role in recruiting and deploying ex-military personnel to Sudan. His wife, Claudia Oliveros, was penalized as well.

Also on the sanctions list was Mateo Andrés Duque Botero, a individual with Colombian and Spanish citizenship who the Treasury stated ran a firm implicated in handling funds and payroll for the recruitment operation. "Recently, companies in the United States linked to Duque conducted several money transfers, worth millions," the Treasury statement said.

Citizen of Colombia Mónica Muñoz was the fourth individual to be targeted, with the entity she oversaw alleged to have financial transactions associated with Duque and his companies.

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

Reaction

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

It was also noted that, Colombia recently passed a statute ratifying the global treaty against mercenarism, seeking to reduce its citizens' long history in international fights and change national security policy.

Sean McFate, an expert on mercenaries, advised additional measures, noting that "restrictions are needed but not enough for combating rampant mercenarism".

"It’s an illicit economy and based out of Dubai, which is relatively sanction-proof," he said. The UAE has been widely accused of supplying weapons to the paramilitary group, allegations it disputes. "This trend will probably continue," the expert cautioned.