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The United States has levied restrictions on a group of four people and four firms charged of enlisting former Colombian soldiers to support and educate a Sudanese paramilitary group that Washington accuses of genocidal acts.

Operation Structure

Announcing the sanctions on Tuesday, the Treasury stated the network was mostly comprised of individuals and businesses from Colombia.

Hundreds of former Colombian military personnel have allegedly journeyed to Sudan to fight alongside the Sudanese RSF militia, a group implicated in severe violations such as massacres based on ethnicity and large-scale abductions.

Discovery of Participation

The role of these mercenaries was first uncovered in 2024, prompted by an investigation which found that hundreds of ex-military personnel had been contracted to engage in combat – an event that resulted in an rare mea culpa from the Colombian government.

These South American veterans have widely regarded as among the world’s most sought-after mercenaries due to their considerable warzone knowledge gleaned from a long-running domestic war, training on Nato equipment, and high-level combat training.

Reported Actions

In Sudan, the mercenaries have allegedly instructed underage fighters, instructed militiamen in drone operation, and engaged in frontline combat. One source remarked that working with child soldiers was "terrible and insane" but commented that "sadly, that is the nature of conflict".

Targeted Persons

Among those penalized was a dual national, a dual Colombian-Italian national and retired Colombian military officer located in the UAE. The government accused him a pivotal function in hiring and sending former Colombian soldiers to Sudan. His spouse, Claudia Oliveros, was also sanctioned.

Also on the penalty list was Duque Botero, a dual national who the Treasury stated ran a firm implicated in handling funds and payroll for the recruitment operation. "Over the past two years, US-based firms linked to Duque conducted multiple financial transactions, totalling millions of US dollars," the Treasury statement said.

Colombian national Mónica Muñoz Ucros was the final person to be penalized, with the firm she operated accused of wire transfers linked to Duque and his operations.

"Washington reiterates its demand for foreign parties to stop giving monetary and weaponry aid to the belligerents," the Treasury stated.

Analyst Commentary

An expert, with the International Crisis Group, called the sanctions as a "major" milestone, stating that "targeting the enablers is the right way to go".

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 international fights and reshape national security policy.

Another expert, a scholar on the subject, called for greater wariness, noting that "penalties are required yet incomplete for dealing with the growing mercenary trade".

"This is a shadow economy and based out of Dubai, which is relatively sanction-proof," he commented. The UAE has been repeatedly implicated of arming the RSF, allegations it disputes. "Expect more Colombian mercenaries," McFate warned.