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The Washington has enforced penalties on a operation of four people and four firms alleged of hiring former Colombian soldiers to combat alongside and instruct a militia force in Sudan that Washington accuses of committing genocide.

Network Composition

Revealing the measures on Tuesday, the US Treasury Department stated the operation was largely composed of Colombian nationals and companies.

Hundreds of ex-soldiers from Colombia have reportedly travelled to the Sudanese warzone to fight alongside the RSF paramilitary group, a force accused of severe violations including massacres based on ethnicity and large-scale abductions.

Emergence of Involvement

The role of these mercenaries first came to light the previous year, following an inquiry which found that more than 300 ex-military personnel had been recruited to participate in the war – an revelation that prompted an unusual statement of regret from the Colombian government.

These South American veterans have long been considered as highly prized fighters in conflict zones due to their considerable warzone knowledge acquired during years of internal conflict, knowledge of Western military gear, and elite military instruction.

Activities in Sudan

In the conflict, the contractors have been accused of teaching minors, taught fighters to pilot drones, and fought directly on the frontlines. A mercenary was quoted as saying that instructing minors was "terrible and insane" but noted that "sadly, that is the nature of conflict".

Named Entities

Among those targeted was a retired Colombian officer, a individual with dual citizenship and former army officer located in the Dubai. The government accused him a pivotal function in hiring and sending ex-military personnel to Sudan. His wife, Claudia Oliveros, was also sanctioned.

Also on the penalty list was Mateo Andrés Duque Botero, a dual Colombian-Spanish citizen who authorities say ran a firm accused of managing finances and payments for the scheme. "In 2024 and 2025, American entities connected to Duque carried out numerous wire transfers, totalling millions of US dollars," the Treasury statement stated.

Colombian national Mónica Muñoz was the other individual to be sanctioned, with the company she managed said to have conducted wire transfers connected to Duque and his operations.

"The United States again calls on outside forces to stop giving monetary and weaponry aid to the belligerents," the Treasury stated.

Reaction

Elizabeth Dickinson, with the International Crisis Group, called the sanctions as a "highly important" milestone, noting that "targeting the enablers is the proper strategy".

She added that, the Colombian government has enacted a piece of legislation ratifying the International Convention Against the Recruitment and Use of Mercenaries, designed to limit its citizens' long history in international fights and transform domestic defense strategy.

A mercenary specialist, a authority on private military contractors, advised additional measures, noting that "sanctions are necessary but insufficient for combating rampant mercenarism".

"It operates in the black market and operating from the Emirates, which is largely insulated from sanctions," he commented. The UAE has been repeatedly implicated of arming the RSF, an accusation it has denied. "This trend will probably continue," he advised.