🔗 Share this article US Imposes Sanctions on Network Accused of Recruiting South American Mercenaries to the Sudanese Conflict. The Washington has levied restrictions on a group of several persons and entities alleged of hiring Colombian mercenaries to combat alongside and instruct a Sudanese paramilitary group that Washington accuses of genocidal acts. Group Makeup Disclosing the sanctions on Tuesday, the American treasury stated the scheme was primarily made up of individuals and businesses from Colombia. Scores of former Colombian military personnel have been recruited to go to the conflict in Sudan to fight alongside the RSF paramilitary group, a force accused of horrific war crimes such as targeted ethnic killings and widespread kidnappings. Revelation of Role The participation of ex-soldiers initially emerged the previous year, after an investigation which revealed that more than 300 former soldiers had been contracted to participate in the war – an event that resulted in an rare mea culpa from officials in Bogotá. Colombian ex-soldiers have widely regarded as among the world’s most sought-after mercenaries due to their extensive battlefield experience resulting from a long-running domestic war, familiarity with Nato equipment, and high-level combat training. Activities in Sudan In Sudan, the Colombians have been accused of teaching minors, provided drone warfare training, and fought directly on the frontlines. A mercenary was quoted as saying that instructing minors was "terrible and insane" but added that "sadly, that is the nature of conflict". Sanctioned Individuals Among those penalized was a dual national, a individual with dual citizenship and retired Colombian military officer operating from the UAE. The Treasury accused him a key part in enlisting and transporting ex-military personnel to Sudan. His spouse, Claudia Viviana Oliveros Forero, was also sanctioned. Also on the sanctions list was Duque Botero, a dual national who officials alleged oversaw a company implicated in managing finances and payments for the recruitment operation. "Recently, companies in the United States connected to Duque engaged in numerous wire transfers, worth millions," the government release said. Individual Mónica Muñoz Ucros was the other individual to be targeted, with the company she managed said to have conducted wire transfers associated with Duque and his companies. "The United States again calls on foreign parties to cease providing financial and military support to the belligerents," the Treasury said in a statement. Expert Analysis An expert, from a conflict think tank, described the actions as a "major" milestone, stating that "identifying the recruiters is the right way to go". Furthermore, Colombia ratified a law ratifying the anti-mercenary convention, seeking to reduce years of participation by its nationals in foreign conflicts and transform national security policy. Another expert, an expert on mercenaries, advised additional measures, stating that "restrictions are needed but not enough for addressing widespread use of contractors". "It’s an illicit economy and operating from the Emirates, which is difficult to penalize," he said. The UAE has been repeatedly implicated of providing arms to the militia, claims it rejects. "This trend will probably continue," the expert cautioned.