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The US government has levied restrictions on a group of four people and four firms alleged of enlisting former Colombian soldiers to combat alongside and instruct a armed faction in Sudan which the US alleges of acts of genocide.

Group Makeup

Revealing the restrictions on Tuesday, the American treasury stated the network was primarily made up of Colombian nationals and companies.

Scores of ex-soldiers from Colombia have been recruited to go to the Sudanese warzone to fight alongside the RSF paramilitary group, a force implicated in horrific war crimes such as massacres based on ethnicity and widespread kidnappings.

Discovery of Participation

The role of these mercenaries was first uncovered the previous year, prompted by an inquiry which found that over three hundred former soldiers had been recruited to fight – an event that led to an rare mea culpa from the Colombian government.

Former Colombian military have long been considered as some of the most in-demand contractors globally due to their considerable warzone knowledge acquired during years of internal conflict, knowledge of advanced weaponry, and elite military instruction.

Activities in Sudan

In Sudan, the contractors have allegedly instructed minors, provided drone warfare training, and fought directly on the frontlines. A mercenary was quoted as saying that training children was "horrific and irrational" but commented that "unfortunately that’s how war is".

Targeted Persons

Among those targeted was a dual national, a dual Colombian-Italian national and former army officer operating from the Dubai. The Treasury alleged he played a pivotal function in enlisting and transporting mercenaries to Sudan. His wife, Claudia Viviana Oliveros Forero, was similarly targeted.

Also on the penalty list was Mateo Duque Botero, a dual Colombian-Spanish citizen who the Treasury stated ran a firm linked to managing finances and payments for the recruitment operation. "Recently, American entities associated with Duque engaged in numerous wire transfers, worth millions," the official announcement said.

Citizen of Colombia Mónica Muñoz Ucros was the fourth individual to be targeted, with the entity she oversaw said to have conducted money transfers associated with Duque and his operations.

"The US once more urges external actors to stop giving monetary and weaponry aid to the belligerents," the Treasury announced.

Analyst Commentary

An expert, with the International Crisis Group, described the measures as a "highly important" step, noting that "calling out those who are doing the contracting is the proper strategy".

It was also noted that, Bogotá recently passed a law approving the International Convention Against the Recruitment and Use of Mercenaries, aiming to curb its citizens' long history in overseas wars and change national security policy.

A mercenary specialist, an expert on mercenaries, advised additional measures, saying that "sanctions are necessary but insufficient for addressing widespread use of contractors".

"It’s an illicit economy and operating from the UAE, which is largely insulated from sanctions," he stated. The UAE has been widely accused of providing arms to the militia, claims it rejects. "Expect more Colombian mercenaries," he advised.