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The United States has enforced penalties on a group of four individuals and four companies accused of hiring Colombian mercenaries to support and educate a Sudanese paramilitary group which the US alleges of acts of genocide.

Operation Structure

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

Hundreds of former Colombian military personnel have reportedly travelled to Sudan to operate with the Sudanese RSF militia, a force implicated in terrible atrocities such as massacres based on ethnicity and mass abductions.

Emergence of Involvement

The role of these mercenaries was first uncovered in 2024, prompted by an inquiry which revealed that hundreds of retired troops had been hired to participate in the war – an revelation that prompted an rare mea culpa from Colombia’s foreign ministry.

These South American veterans have historically been seen as some of the most in-demand contractors globally due to their extensive battlefield experience gleaned from decades of civil war, familiarity with advanced weaponry, and superior tactical education.

Reported Actions

In the conflict, the Colombians have been accused of teaching minors, taught fighters to pilot drones, and engaged in frontline combat. A mercenary remarked that training children was "awful and crazy" but commented that "sadly, that is the nature of conflict".

Named Entities

Among those targeted was a dual national, a dual Colombian-Italian national and ex-soldier located in the United Arab Emirates. The US authorities alleged he played a central role in recruiting and deploying ex-military personnel to Sudan. His spouse, Claudia Oliveros, was also sanctioned.

Also on the restricted list was Duque Botero, a dual national who the Treasury stated managed a business accused of managing finances and payments for the network. "In 2024 and 2025, US-based firms connected to Duque carried out numerous wire transfers, totalling millions of US dollars," the Treasury statement said.

Colombian national Mónica Muñoz was the other individual to be penalized, with the firm she operated said to have conducted money transfers connected to Duque and his businesses.

"The US once more urges outside forces to stop giving monetary and weaponry aid to the combatants," the department announced.

Analyst Commentary

Elizabeth Dickinson, with the International Crisis Group, labeled the actions as a "very significant" step, noting that "targeting the enablers is the right way to go".

It was also noted that, Colombia ratified a law ratifying the International Convention Against the Recruitment and Use of Mercenaries, aiming to curb its citizens' long history in international fights and change domestic defense strategy.

Another expert, a scholar on the subject, advised additional measures, stating that "penalties are required yet incomplete for combating widespread use of contractors".

"It operates in the black market and operating from the UAE, which is largely insulated from sanctions," he said. The United Arab Emirates has been frequently alleged of supplying weapons to the paramilitary group, claims it rejects. "Expect more Colombian mercenaries," he advised.