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The US government has levied restrictions on a operation of several persons and entities accused of hiring Colombian mercenaries to combat alongside and instruct a Sudanese paramilitary group that Washington accuses of acts of genocide.

Network Composition

Announcing the sanctions on Tuesday, the American treasury stated the network was largely composed of Colombian citizens and firms.

Numerous of former Colombian military personnel have reportedly travelled to Sudan to operate with the RSF paramilitary group, a faction accused of severe violations including massacres based on ethnicity and mass abductions.

Discovery of Participation

The participation of ex-soldiers was first uncovered in 2024, after an report which disclosed that hundreds of former soldiers had been hired to engage in combat – an revelation that prompted an unprecedented apology from officials in Bogotá.

These South American veterans have widely regarded as among the world’s most sought-after mercenaries due to their considerable warzone knowledge resulting from decades of civil war, training on Nato equipment, and superior tactical education.

Role in the Conflict

In Sudan, the Colombians have reportedly trained underage fighters, taught fighters to pilot drones, and engaged in frontline combat. One source was quoted as saying that working with child soldiers was "horrific and irrational" but noted that "sadly, that is the nature of conflict".

Targeted Persons

Among those sanctioned was a retired Colombian officer, a individual with dual citizenship and retired Colombian military officer based in the Dubai. The government said he had a pivotal function in recruiting and deploying ex-military personnel 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 oversaw a company implicated in processing money and salaries for the scheme. "Over the past two years, companies in the United States connected to Duque carried out numerous wire transfers, worth millions," the Treasury statement noted.

Citizen of Colombia Mónica Muñoz was the fourth individual to be targeted, with the company she managed said to have conducted financial transactions associated with Duque and his businesses.

"Washington reiterates its demand for external actors to stop giving monetary and weaponry aid to the belligerents," the agency stated.

Analyst Commentary

Elizabeth Dickinson, with the International Crisis Group, described the measures as a "major" development, noting that "identifying the recruiters is the right way to go".

It was also noted that, Colombia ratified a piece of legislation approving the global treaty against mercenarism, aiming to curb years of participation by its nationals in international fights and transform national security policy.

Sean McFate, an expert on mercenaries, called for greater wariness, saying that "penalties are required yet incomplete for dealing with widespread use of contractors".

"This is a shadow economy and operating from the Emirates, which is relatively sanction-proof," he said. The Emirati government has been widely accused of providing arms to the militia, claims it rejects. "More contractors from Colombia are likely," he advised.