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The US government has imposed sanctions on a network of several persons and entities alleged of hiring Colombian mercenaries to fight for and train a militia force in Sudan which the US alleges of genocidal acts.

Group Makeup

Disclosing the restrictions on this week, the American treasury stated the scheme was mostly comprised of Colombian nationals and companies.

Hundreds of retired Colombian troops have reportedly travelled to Sudan to fight alongside the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a group implicated in severe violations including massacres based on ethnicity and widespread kidnappings.

Discovery of Participation

The role of these mercenaries was first uncovered in 2024, after an investigation which disclosed that over three hundred former soldiers had been contracted to engage in combat – an event that led to an unusual statement of regret from officials in Bogotá.

These South American veterans have long been considered as some of the most in-demand contractors globally due to their extensive battlefield experience gleaned from decades of civil war, knowledge of advanced weaponry, and elite military instruction.

Activities in Sudan

In the conflict, the contractors have reportedly trained child soldiers, instructed militiamen in drone operation, and fought directly on the frontlines. An individual involved was quoted as saying that training children was "horrific and irrational" but noted that "regrettably, war operates that way".

Targeted Persons

Among those penalized was a retired Colombian officer, a individual with dual citizenship and retired Colombian military officer based in the Dubai. The government accused him a central role in enlisting and transporting former Colombian soldiers to Sudan. His wife, Claudia Viviana Oliveros Forero, was penalized as well.

Also on the sanctions list was Duque Botero, a dual national who authorities say oversaw a company accused of processing money and salaries for the recruitment operation. "Over the past two years, companies in the United States linked to Duque carried out multiple financial transactions, amounting to millions," the Treasury statement said.

Individual Mónica Muñoz was the final person to be penalized, with the firm she operated said to have conducted financial transactions linked to Duque and his operations.

"The US once more urges foreign parties to stop giving monetary and weaponry aid to the belligerents," the Treasury stated.

Expert Analysis

Elizabeth Dickinson, with the International Crisis Group, called the measures as a "major" milestone, stating that "targeting the enablers is the right way to go".

It was also noted that, Colombia has enacted a law approving the International Convention Against the Recruitment and Use of Mercenaries, aiming to curb years of participation by its nationals in overseas wars and transform its security approach.

Sean McFate, a scholar on the subject, called for greater wariness, noting that "penalties are required yet incomplete for addressing widespread use of contractors".

"This is a shadow economy and based out of Dubai, which is largely insulated from sanctions," he commented. The UAE has been repeatedly implicated of supplying weapons to the paramilitary group, allegations it disputes. "This trend will probably continue," the expert cautioned.