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The Washington has imposed sanctions on a network of four individuals and four companies charged of hiring South American contractors to support and educate a Sudanese paramilitary group the United States claims of genocidal acts.

Operation Structure

Announcing the restrictions on Tuesday, the Treasury stated the operation was mostly comprised of Colombian citizens and firms.

Hundreds of retired Colombian troops have been recruited to go to the conflict in Sudan to fight alongside the Sudanese RSF militia, a faction linked to severe violations including ethnically targeted slaughter and widespread kidnappings.

Discovery of Participation

The involvement of Colombian fighters initially emerged in 2024, following an report which revealed that more than 300 ex-military personnel had been recruited to fight – an revelation that resulted in an unusual statement of regret from Colombia’s foreign ministry.

Colombian ex-soldiers have long been considered as some of the most in-demand contractors globally due to their considerable warzone knowledge resulting from years of internal conflict, training on Nato equipment, and superior tactical education.

Role in the Conflict

In Sudan, the Colombians have allegedly instructed child soldiers, instructed militiamen in drone operation, and participated in direct battles. One source previously stated that training children was "terrible and insane" but noted that "unfortunately that’s how war is".

Named Entities

Among those penalized was a retired Colombian officer, a citizen of both Colombia and Italy and retired Colombian military officer based in the UAE. The Treasury said he had a central role in enlisting and transporting ex-military personnel to Sudan. His wife, Claudia Oliveros, 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 ran a firm accused of managing finances and payments for the scheme. "Over the past two years, American entities connected to Duque carried out numerous wire transfers, amounting to millions," the Treasury statement said.

Citizen of Colombia Mónica Muñoz was the fourth individual to be targeted, with the entity she oversaw alleged to have financial transactions connected to Duque and his operations.

"The United States again calls on outside forces to cease providing financial and military support to the combatants," the agency said in a statement.

Analyst Commentary

An expert, from a conflict think tank, described the actions as a "very significant" milestone, stating that "calling out those who are doing the contracting is the right way to go".

Furthermore, the Colombian government ratified a statute ratifying the anti-mercenary convention, seeking to reduce years of participation by its nationals in international fights and reshape its security approach.

Sean McFate, a scholar on the subject, advised additional measures, saying that "restrictions are needed but not enough for dealing with the growing mercenary trade".

"It’s an illicit economy and centered in the UAE, which is relatively sanction-proof," he said. The Emirati government has been widely accused of providing arms to the militia, allegations it disputes. "More contractors from Colombia are likely," the expert cautioned.