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The Washington has enforced penalties on a network of four people and four firms charged of enlisting Colombian mercenaries to fight for and train a militia force in Sudan which the US alleges of committing genocide.

Operation Structure

Revealing the sanctions on Tuesday, the Treasury stated the scheme was primarily made up of Colombian nationals and companies.

Scores of former Colombian military personnel have allegedly journeyed to Sudan to combat beside the Sudanese RSF militia, a faction linked to severe violations encompassing targeted ethnic killings and widespread kidnappings.

Discovery of Participation

The participation of ex-soldiers was first uncovered in 2024, following an inquiry which revealed that over three hundred retired troops had been contracted to participate in the war – an event that prompted an rare mea culpa from officials in Bogotá.

Colombian ex-soldiers have widely regarded as among the world’s most sought-after mercenaries due to their considerable warzone knowledge resulting from years of internal conflict, knowledge of Western military gear, and high-level combat training.

Role in the Conflict

In the Sudanese theater, the mercenaries have been accused of teaching child soldiers, taught fighters to pilot drones, and participated in direct battles. A mercenary previously stated that training children was "terrible and insane" but noted that "sadly, that is the nature of conflict".

Named Entities

Among those sanctioned was a retired Colombian officer, a dual Colombian-Italian national and retired Colombian military officer based in the Dubai. The Treasury accused him a key part in hiring and sending mercenaries to Sudan. His spouse, Claudia Viviana Oliveros Forero, was penalized as well.

Also on the restricted list was Mateo Andrés Duque Botero, a dual national who authorities say oversaw a company accused of managing finances and payments for the recruitment operation. "Over the past two years, American entities associated with Duque conducted numerous wire transfers, totalling millions of US dollars," the Treasury statement noted.

Colombian national Mónica Muñoz was the other individual to be targeted, with the entity she oversaw said to have conducted money transfers associated with Duque and his companies.

"Washington reiterates its demand for external actors to cease providing funding and arms to the belligerents," the Treasury announced.

Analyst Commentary

A senior analyst, senior analyst at the International Crisis Group, called the measures as a "highly important" milestone, noting that "targeting the enablers is the right way to go".

She added that, Bogotá has enacted a law ratifying the global treaty against mercenarism, seeking to reduce its citizens' long history in overseas wars and transform domestic defense strategy.

A mercenary specialist, an expert on mercenaries, called for greater wariness, stating that "sanctions are necessary but insufficient for combating rampant mercenarism".

"It operates in the black market and centered in the UAE, which is relatively sanction-proof," he said. The UAE has been repeatedly implicated of providing arms to the militia, allegations it disputes. "More contractors from Colombia are likely," he advised.