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The Washington has enforced penalties on a operation of four people and four firms alleged of enlisting Colombian mercenaries to support and educate a armed faction in Sudan that Washington accuses of acts of genocide.

Network Composition

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

Scores of retired Colombian troops have reportedly travelled to Sudan to operate with the RSF paramilitary group, a faction linked to severe violations such as targeted ethnic killings and mass abductions.

Discovery of Participation

The involvement of Colombian fighters initially emerged last year, following an investigation which disclosed that more than 300 retired troops had been hired to participate in the war – an revelation that led to an rare mea culpa from officials in Bogotá.

These South American veterans have widely regarded as some of the most in-demand contractors globally due to their considerable warzone knowledge gleaned from a long-running domestic war, training on Western military gear, and high-level combat training.

Reported Actions

In the conflict, the contractors have reportedly trained minors, provided drone warfare training, and engaged in frontline combat. A mercenary remarked that instructing minors was "awful and crazy" but noted that "regrettably, war operates that way".

Targeted Persons

Among those targeted was a dual national, a individual with dual citizenship and retired Colombian military officer located in the United Arab Emirates. The government accused him a central role in enlisting and transporting former Colombian soldiers to Sudan. His wife, Claudia Viviana Oliveros Forero, was also sanctioned.

Also on the restricted list was Duque Botero, a dual national who authorities say oversaw a company accused of processing money and salaries for the recruitment operation. "In 2024 and 2025, American entities linked to Duque conducted numerous wire transfers, amounting to millions," the official announcement noted.

Colombian national Mónica Muñoz was the other individual to be targeted, with the entity she oversaw alleged to have money transfers linked to Duque and his operations.

"The United States again calls on foreign parties to halt the flow of financial and military support to the combatants," the agency said in a statement.

Expert Analysis

Elizabeth Dickinson, senior analyst at the International Crisis Group, called the actions as a "very significant" development, saying that "identifying the recruiters is the proper strategy".

It was also noted that, Bogotá ratified a law ratifying the International Convention Against the Recruitment and Use of Mercenaries, designed to limit its citizens' long history in international fights and change domestic defense strategy.

A mercenary specialist, an expert on mercenaries, advised additional measures, noting that "penalties are required yet incomplete for dealing with rampant mercenarism".

"This is a shadow economy and based out of the UAE, which is relatively sanction-proof," he commented. The Emirati government has been frequently alleged of supplying weapons to the paramilitary group, allegations it disputes. "More contractors from Colombia are likely," the expert cautioned.