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The United States has levied restrictions on a group of four individuals and four companies accused of recruiting Colombian mercenaries to support and educate a militia force in Sudan the United States claims of acts of genocide.

Group Makeup

Announcing the measures on this week, the American treasury stated the operation was largely composed of individuals and businesses from Colombia.

Numerous of ex-soldiers from Colombia have reportedly travelled to the conflict in Sudan to fight alongside the Sudanese RSF militia, a group linked to horrific war crimes encompassing ethnically targeted slaughter and mass abductions.

Revelation of Role

The involvement of Colombian fighters was first uncovered in 2024, following an inquiry which revealed that hundreds of retired troops had been contracted to engage in combat – an event that resulted in an rare mea culpa from Colombia’s foreign ministry.

Colombian ex-soldiers have historically been seen as highly prized fighters in conflict zones due to their vast combat experience resulting from decades of civil war, training on Western military gear, and high-level combat training.

Reported Actions

In the conflict, the contractors have reportedly trained underage fighters, provided drone warfare training, and fought directly on the frontlines. A mercenary remarked that instructing minors was "terrible and insane" but commented that "unfortunately that’s how war is".

Named Entities

Among those penalized was a retired Colombian officer, a dual Colombian-Italian national and ex-soldier based in the UAE. The Treasury alleged he played a central role in recruiting and deploying former Colombian soldiers to Sudan. His wife, Claudia Viviana Oliveros Forero, was penalized as well.

Also on the penalty list was Mateo Duque Botero, a dual national who authorities say managed a business linked to handling funds and payroll for the scheme. "Recently, US-based firms connected to Duque conducted multiple financial transactions, totalling millions of US dollars," the government release stated.

Colombian national Mónica Muñoz was the other individual to be targeted, with the company she managed alleged to have money transfers associated with Duque and his companies.

"The US once more urges outside forces to halt the flow of financial and military support to the warring parties," the agency stated.

Reaction

A senior analyst, with the International Crisis Group, described the measures as a "major" development, saying that "targeting the enablers is the proper strategy".

It was also noted that, Colombia recently passed a law ratifying the anti-mercenary convention, designed to limit years of participation by its nationals in foreign conflicts and change national security policy.

Another expert, a scholar on the subject, called for greater wariness, saying that "penalties are required yet incomplete for dealing with rampant mercenarism".

"This is a shadow economy and operating from the Emirates, which is largely insulated from sanctions," he stated. The Emirati government has been frequently alleged of supplying weapons to the paramilitary group, an accusation it has denied. "This trend will probably continue," McFate warned.