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The Washington has levied restrictions on a network of several persons and entities accused of hiring former Colombian soldiers to fight for and train a armed faction in Sudan that Washington accuses of acts of genocide.

Group Makeup

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

Scores of ex-soldiers from Colombia have reportedly travelled to the Sudanese warzone to operate with the RSF paramilitary group, a force implicated in terrible atrocities including massacres based on ethnicity and mass abductions.

Emergence of Involvement

The involvement of Colombian fighters initially emerged in 2024, following an report which disclosed that hundreds of ex-military personnel had been contracted to engage in combat – an event that led to 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 considerable warzone knowledge gleaned from decades of civil war, familiarity with Western military gear, and high-level combat training.

Activities in Sudan

In the Sudanese theater, the contractors have been accused of teaching underage fighters, provided drone warfare training, and fought directly on the frontlines. One source remarked that working with child soldiers was "horrific and irrational" but noted that "sadly, that is the nature of conflict".

Targeted Persons

Among those penalized was a retired Colombian officer, a citizen of both Colombia and Italy and ex-soldier located in the UAE. The US authorities said he had a key part in hiring and sending mercenaries to Sudan. His wife, Claudia Viviana Oliveros Forero, was penalized as well.

Also on the penalty list was Mateo Andrés Duque Botero, a individual with Colombian and Spanish citizenship who the Treasury stated oversaw a company implicated in handling funds and payroll for the recruitment operation. "Recently, companies in the United States associated with Duque conducted numerous wire transfers, amounting to millions," the government release noted.

Colombian national Mónica Muñoz was the fourth individual to be targeted, with the entity she oversaw accused of financial transactions associated with Duque and his businesses.

"The United States again calls on external actors to halt the flow of financial and military support to the belligerents," the agency said in a statement.

Reaction

A senior analyst, with the International Crisis Group, labeled the sanctions as a "major" step, stating that "identifying the recruiters is the right way to go".

It was also noted that, the Colombian government recently passed a piece of legislation ratifying the anti-mercenary convention, designed to limit years of participation by its nationals in overseas wars and reshape national security policy.

Another expert, an expert on mercenaries, urged more caution, saying that "restrictions are needed but not enough for dealing with rampant mercenarism".

"It operates in the black market and operating from Dubai, which is difficult to penalize," he commented. The UAE has been widely accused of supplying weapons to the paramilitary group, claims it rejects. "More contractors from Colombia are likely," he advised.