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The US government has imposed sanctions on a network of four individuals and four companies charged of hiring former Colombian soldiers to support and educate a militia force in Sudan that Washington accuses of committing genocide.

Network Composition

Announcing the sanctions on this week, the American treasury stated the operation was largely composed of Colombian nationals and companies.

Scores of retired Colombian troops have reportedly travelled to the Sudanese warzone to combat beside the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a group implicated in horrific war crimes including massacres based on ethnicity and mass abductions.

Emergence of Involvement

The participation of ex-soldiers initially emerged the previous year, prompted by an inquiry which revealed that over three hundred retired troops had been recruited to engage in combat – an revelation that resulted in an unprecedented apology from officials in Bogotá.

These South American veterans have historically been seen as some of the most in-demand contractors globally due to their considerable warzone knowledge gleaned from years of internal conflict, knowledge of Nato equipment, and elite military instruction.

Reported Actions

In the conflict, the contractors have been accused of teaching underage fighters, provided drone warfare training, and participated in direct battles. One source was quoted as saying that training children was "horrific and irrational" but noted that "regrettably, war operates that way".

Targeted Persons

Among those penalized was a retired Colombian officer, a citizen of both Colombia and Italy and former army officer operating from the United Arab Emirates. The government accused him a key part in enlisting and transporting ex-military personnel to Sudan. His spouse, Claudia Viviana Oliveros Forero, was also sanctioned.

Also on the sanctions list was Mateo Duque Botero, a individual with Colombian and Spanish citizenship who officials alleged ran a firm linked to managing finances and payments for the scheme. "In 2024 and 2025, US-based firms linked to Duque conducted several money transfers, totalling millions of US dollars," the official announcement noted.

Citizen of Colombia Mónica Muñoz was the fourth individual to be penalized, with the firm she operated accused of financial transactions associated with Duque and his businesses.

"The US once more urges foreign parties to stop giving funding and arms to the warring parties," the agency announced.

Expert Analysis

An expert, with the International Crisis Group, labeled the measures as a "highly important" milestone, saying that "identifying the recruiters is the proper strategy".

She added that, Bogotá recently passed a piece of legislation endorsing the International Convention Against the Recruitment and Use of Mercenaries, seeking to reduce its citizens' long history in foreign conflicts and change its security approach.

A mercenary specialist, a scholar on the subject, called for greater wariness, saying that "restrictions are needed but not enough for dealing with widespread use of contractors".

"It’s an illicit economy and centered in the UAE, which is relatively sanction-proof," he stated. The United Arab Emirates has been widely accused of providing arms to the militia, allegations it disputes. "This trend will probably continue," the expert cautioned.