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The US government has imposed sanctions on a group of four people and four firms accused of hiring former Colombian soldiers to support and educate a armed faction in Sudan that Washington accuses of acts of genocide.

Group Makeup

Revealing the sanctions on this week, the Treasury stated the scheme was mostly comprised of individuals and businesses from Colombia.

Hundreds of former Colombian military personnel have allegedly journeyed to the conflict in Sudan to combat beside the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a group linked to terrible atrocities such as massacres based on ethnicity and mass abductions.

Discovery of Participation

The participation of ex-soldiers first came to light the previous year, prompted by an report which revealed that over three hundred retired troops had been contracted to fight – an event that prompted an rare mea culpa from officials in Bogotá.

Former Colombian military have widely regarded as highly prized fighters in conflict zones due to their vast combat experience resulting from decades of civil war, knowledge of advanced weaponry, and elite military instruction.

Reported Actions

In Sudan, the mercenaries have reportedly trained underage fighters, provided drone warfare training, and participated in direct battles. A mercenary previously stated that training children was "horrific and irrational" but added that "unfortunately that’s how war is".

Named Entities

Among those penalized was a retired Colombian officer, a citizen of both Colombia and Italy and former army officer operating from the UAE. The government alleged he played a key part in recruiting and deploying ex-military personnel to Sudan. His wife, Claudia Viviana Oliveros Forero, was similarly targeted.

Also on the penalty list was Duque Botero, a dual national who officials alleged oversaw a company linked to handling funds and payroll for the recruitment operation. "Over the past two years, US-based firms associated with Duque engaged in multiple financial transactions, worth millions," the government release said.

Citizen of Colombia Mónica Muñoz Ucros was the fourth individual to be targeted, with the entity she oversaw accused of money transfers connected to Duque and his companies.

"The United States again calls on foreign parties to cease providing funding and arms to the combatants," the agency announced.

Expert Analysis

Elizabeth Dickinson, from a conflict think tank, labeled the measures as a "major" milestone, noting that "calling out those who are doing the contracting is the correct approach".

She added that, Bogotá recently passed a piece of legislation approving the global treaty against mercenarism, designed to limit its citizens' long history in international fights and change its security approach.

Sean McFate, a scholar on the subject, urged more caution, saying that "restrictions are needed but not enough for dealing with rampant mercenarism".

"This is a shadow economy and centered in the UAE, which is difficult to penalize," he stated. The UAE has been widely accused of supplying weapons to the paramilitary group, claims it rejects. "More contractors from Colombia are likely," the expert cautioned.