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The United States has enforced penalties on a network of four people and four firms charged of enlisting former Colombian soldiers to combat alongside and instruct a Sudanese paramilitary group which the US alleges of acts of genocide.

Operation Structure

Disclosing the measures on Tuesday, the American treasury stated the operation was primarily made up of Colombian citizens and firms.

Hundreds of ex-soldiers from Colombia have allegedly journeyed to Sudan to combat beside the RSF paramilitary group, a group accused of severe violations encompassing ethnically targeted slaughter and large-scale abductions.

Emergence of Involvement

The participation of ex-soldiers was first uncovered in 2024, after an report which revealed that over three hundred ex-military personnel had been contracted to fight – an discovery that led to an rare mea culpa from Colombia’s foreign ministry.

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

Role in the Conflict

In the Sudanese theater, the mercenaries have reportedly trained child soldiers, provided drone warfare training, and participated in direct battles. One source previously stated that instructing minors was "horrific and irrational" but noted that "sadly, that is the nature of conflict".

Named Entities

Among those sanctioned was a retired Colombian officer, a citizen of both Colombia and Italy and former army officer located in the UAE. The government accused him a key part in hiring and sending mercenaries to Sudan. His spouse, Claudia Oliveros, was also sanctioned.

Also on the restricted list was Mateo Duque Botero, a individual with Colombian and Spanish citizenship who authorities say oversaw a company linked to handling funds and payroll for the scheme. "Recently, American entities associated with Duque carried out several money transfers, amounting to millions," the official announcement said.

Individual Mónica Muñoz Ucros was the other individual to be sanctioned, with the firm she operated said to have conducted financial transactions linked to Duque and his businesses.

"The United States again calls on external actors to halt the flow of funding and arms to the belligerents," the department stated.

Reaction

Elizabeth Dickinson, with the International Crisis Group, called the measures as a "highly important" development, noting that "targeting the enablers is the correct approach".

It was also noted that, Bogotá ratified a statute endorsing the anti-mercenary convention, seeking to reduce its citizens' long history in overseas wars and transform domestic defense strategy.

A mercenary specialist, an expert on mercenaries, urged more caution, stating that "sanctions are necessary but insufficient for addressing rampant mercenarism".

"It’s an illicit economy and based out of the UAE, which is difficult to penalize," he stated. The United Arab Emirates has been repeatedly implicated of supplying weapons to the paramilitary group, an accusation it has denied. "This trend will probably continue," McFate warned.