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The United States has imposed sanctions on a group of four people and four firms charged of hiring Colombian mercenaries to support and educate a militia force in Sudan which the US alleges of committing genocide.

Operation Structure

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

Scores of retired Colombian troops have reportedly travelled to the Sudanese warzone to operate with the Sudanese RSF militia, a faction implicated in terrible atrocities such as ethnically targeted slaughter and large-scale abductions.

Revelation of Role

The role of these mercenaries was first uncovered last year, prompted by an investigation which found that more than 300 ex-military personnel had been recruited to fight – an event that led to an rare mea culpa from the Colombian government.

These South American veterans have historically been seen as highly prized fighters in conflict zones due to their extensive battlefield experience acquired during years of internal conflict, training on Western military gear, and high-level combat training.

Role in the Conflict

In the Sudanese theater, the Colombians have been accused of teaching child soldiers, taught fighters to pilot drones, and fought directly on the frontlines. An individual involved remarked that training children was "horrific and irrational" but noted that "unfortunately that’s how war is".

Sanctioned Individuals

Among those penalized was a retired Colombian officer, a individual with dual citizenship and ex-soldier based in the Dubai. The government accused him a central role in recruiting and deploying ex-military personnel to Sudan. His spouse, Claudia Oliveros, was also sanctioned.

Also on the sanctions list was Mateo Duque Botero, a dual national who officials alleged managed a business linked to processing money and salaries for the recruitment operation. "In 2024 and 2025, US-based firms connected to Duque engaged in numerous wire transfers, worth millions," the government release said.

Colombian national Mónica Muñoz was the final person to be sanctioned, with the company she managed alleged to have money transfers associated with Duque and his companies.

"Washington reiterates its demand for external actors to halt the flow of monetary and weaponry aid to the combatants," the department stated.

Analyst Commentary

An expert, from a conflict think tank, described the actions as a "very significant" milestone, noting that "identifying the recruiters is the proper strategy".

She added that, Colombia has enacted a law approving the global treaty against mercenarism, designed to limit years of participation by its nationals in overseas wars and change its security approach.

A mercenary specialist, an expert on mercenaries, urged more caution, saying that "sanctions are necessary but insufficient for combating rampant mercenarism".

"This is a shadow economy and based out of the UAE, which is difficult to penalize," he commented. The Emirati government has been widely accused of providing arms to the militia, claims it rejects. "This trend will probably continue," the expert cautioned.