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The Washington has enforced penalties on a operation of four individuals and four companies accused of enlisting Colombian mercenaries to support and educate a Sudanese paramilitary group which the US alleges of committing genocide.

Network Composition

Announcing the measures on Tuesday, the American treasury stated the operation was mostly comprised of Colombian citizens and firms.

Hundreds of ex-soldiers from Colombia have been recruited to go to the conflict in Sudan to combat beside the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a force implicated in severe violations including targeted ethnic killings and large-scale abductions.

Emergence of Involvement

The involvement of Colombian fighters initially emerged last year, after an report which revealed that more than 300 retired troops had been recruited to fight – an event that led to an rare mea culpa from Colombia’s foreign ministry.

Colombian ex-soldiers have historically been seen as some of the most in-demand contractors globally due to their considerable warzone knowledge resulting from a long-running domestic war, training on advanced weaponry, and elite military instruction.

Reported Actions

In the Sudanese theater, the contractors have allegedly instructed child soldiers, instructed militiamen in drone operation, and fought directly on the frontlines. A mercenary remarked that working with child soldiers was "horrific and irrational" but noted that "sadly, that is the nature of conflict".

Sanctioned Individuals

Among those sanctioned was a dual national, a individual with dual citizenship and retired Colombian military officer located in the UAE. The US authorities said he had a key part in recruiting and deploying former Colombian soldiers to Sudan. His wife, Claudia Oliveros, was similarly targeted.

Also on the restricted list was Mateo Andrés Duque Botero, a individual with Colombian and Spanish citizenship who officials alleged oversaw a company implicated in handling funds and payroll for the scheme. "In 2024 and 2025, companies in the United States associated with Duque conducted multiple financial transactions, amounting to millions," the Treasury statement said.

Individual Mónica Muñoz was the final person to be targeted, with the company she managed accused of wire transfers connected to Duque and his companies.

"The US once more urges foreign parties to stop giving monetary and weaponry aid to the belligerents," the department said in a statement.

Expert Analysis

Elizabeth Dickinson, with the International Crisis Group, described the sanctions as a "very significant" step, noting that "identifying the recruiters is the right way to go".

She added that, the Colombian government recently passed a law ratifying the global treaty against mercenarism, aiming to curb decades of Colombian involvement in overseas wars and change its security approach.

Sean McFate, a authority on private military contractors, called for greater wariness, noting that "penalties are required yet incomplete for combating widespread use of contractors".

"It’s an illicit economy and centered in the Emirates, which is difficult to penalize," he commented. The United Arab Emirates has been frequently alleged of supplying weapons to the paramilitary group, allegations it disputes. "More contractors from Colombia are likely," he advised.