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The Washington has levied restrictions on a operation of four people and four firms charged of enlisting Colombian mercenaries to fight for and train a militia force in Sudan the United States claims of acts of genocide.

Network Composition

Revealing the measures on this week, the US Treasury Department stated the network was mostly comprised of Colombian citizens and firms.

Hundreds of former Colombian military personnel have been recruited to go to the conflict in Sudan to fight alongside the Sudanese RSF militia, a faction implicated in horrific war crimes including ethnically targeted slaughter and widespread kidnappings.

Discovery of Participation

The participation of ex-soldiers was first uncovered the previous year, prompted by an report which found that over three hundred former soldiers had been hired to engage in combat – an revelation that resulted in an rare mea culpa from the Colombian government.

Colombian ex-soldiers have historically been seen as highly prized fighters in conflict zones due to their considerable warzone knowledge gleaned from decades of civil war, knowledge of Western military gear, and elite military instruction.

Reported Actions

In Sudan, the contractors have been accused of teaching minors, instructed militiamen in drone operation, and engaged in frontline combat. A mercenary was quoted as saying that training children was "awful and crazy" but added that "unfortunately that’s how war is".

Targeted Persons

Among those targeted was a retired Colombian officer, a dual Colombian-Italian national and ex-soldier operating from the United Arab Emirates. The government alleged he played a central role in enlisting and transporting former Colombian soldiers to Sudan. His wife, Claudia Viviana Oliveros Forero, was also sanctioned.

Also on the penalty list was Duque Botero, a dual Colombian-Spanish citizen who officials alleged ran a firm accused of managing finances and payments for the recruitment operation. "In 2024 and 2025, companies in the United States associated with Duque engaged in numerous wire transfers, worth millions," the Treasury statement noted.

Individual Mónica Muñoz was the final person to be sanctioned, with the company she managed accused of financial transactions connected to Duque and his companies.

"The US once more urges foreign parties to stop giving funding and arms to the warring parties," the department stated.

Analyst Commentary

A senior analyst, senior analyst at the International Crisis Group, called the sanctions as a "major" step, stating that "identifying the recruiters is the correct approach".

Furthermore, the Colombian government ratified a statute approving the anti-mercenary convention, seeking to reduce decades of Colombian involvement in overseas wars and transform its security approach.

A mercenary specialist, a scholar on the subject, advised additional measures, stating that "sanctions are necessary but insufficient for combating rampant mercenarism".

"It’s an illicit economy and centered in the Emirates, which is largely insulated from sanctions," he stated. The United Arab Emirates has been repeatedly implicated of providing arms to the militia, claims it rejects. "Expect more Colombian mercenaries," the expert cautioned.