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The US government has imposed sanctions on a group of four individuals and four companies accused of enlisting Colombian mercenaries to support and educate a armed faction in Sudan that Washington accuses of committing genocide.

Operation Structure

Disclosing the sanctions on this week, the American treasury stated the network was primarily made up of Colombian citizens and firms.

Scores of ex-soldiers from Colombia have reportedly travelled to Sudan to fight alongside the Sudanese RSF militia, a group implicated in terrible atrocities including ethnically targeted slaughter and large-scale abductions.

Discovery of Participation

The involvement of Colombian fighters initially emerged the previous year, prompted by an report which revealed that over three hundred former soldiers had been hired to engage in combat – an discovery that led to an unprecedented apology from officials in Bogotá.

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 years of internal conflict, training on Western military gear, and superior tactical education.

Reported Actions

In the Sudanese theater, the mercenaries have allegedly instructed child soldiers, provided drone warfare training, and fought directly on the frontlines. A mercenary previously stated that working with child soldiers was "terrible and insane" but commented that "unfortunately that’s how war is".

Targeted Persons

Among those penalized was a dual national, a citizen of both Colombia and Italy and former army officer based in the United Arab Emirates. The Treasury accused him a pivotal function in recruiting and deploying former Colombian soldiers to Sudan. His spouse, Claudia Oliveros, was penalized as well.

Also on the sanctions list was Mateo Andrés Duque Botero, a dual Colombian-Spanish citizen who the Treasury stated managed a business linked to managing finances and payments for the scheme. "In 2024 and 2025, companies in the United States connected to Duque conducted multiple financial transactions, worth millions," the Treasury statement said.

Citizen of Colombia Mónica Muñoz was the other individual to be targeted, with the firm she operated alleged to have money transfers associated with Duque and his companies.

"Washington reiterates its demand for external actors to halt the flow of funding and arms to the belligerents," the agency announced.

Reaction

Elizabeth Dickinson, senior analyst at the International Crisis Group, called the actions as a "major" step, noting that "calling out those who are doing the contracting is the correct approach".

It was also noted that, Colombia recently passed a statute endorsing the global treaty against mercenarism, designed to limit years of participation by its nationals in international fights and change national security policy.

Sean McFate, an expert on mercenaries, called for greater wariness, noting that "penalties are required yet incomplete for combating widespread use of contractors".

"It’s an illicit economy and operating from the Emirates, which is difficult to penalize," he commented. The United Arab Emirates has been widely accused of arming the RSF, allegations it disputes. "More contractors from Colombia are likely," McFate warned.