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The US government has imposed sanctions on a group of four individuals and four companies alleged of hiring former Colombian soldiers to fight for and train a armed faction in Sudan which the US alleges of genocidal acts.

Operation Structure

Announcing the sanctions on this week, the US Treasury Department stated the scheme was mostly comprised of Colombian nationals and companies.

Scores of ex-soldiers from Colombia have reportedly travelled to Sudan to operate with the Sudanese RSF militia, a faction implicated in severe violations encompassing ethnically targeted slaughter and large-scale abductions.

Discovery of Participation

The involvement of Colombian fighters was first uncovered in 2024, after an inquiry which disclosed that hundreds of retired troops had been contracted to participate in the war – an revelation that led to an unusual statement of regret from officials in Bogotá.

Colombian ex-soldiers have historically been seen as among the world’s most sought-after mercenaries due to their vast combat experience resulting from decades of civil war, familiarity with Western military gear, and high-level combat training.

Activities in Sudan

In the Sudanese theater, the contractors have been accused of teaching minors, provided drone warfare training, and fought directly on the frontlines. A mercenary was quoted as saying that working with child soldiers was "awful and crazy" but added that "unfortunately that’s how war is".

Sanctioned Individuals

Among those sanctioned was a retired Colombian officer, a citizen of both Colombia and Italy and ex-soldier located in the United Arab Emirates. The Treasury alleged he played a central role in enlisting and transporting ex-military personnel to Sudan. His wife, Claudia Viviana Oliveros Forero, was also sanctioned.

Also on the sanctions list was Mateo Andrés Duque Botero, a individual with Colombian and Spanish citizenship who the Treasury stated managed a business implicated in managing finances and payments for the network. "Over the past two years, companies in the United States associated with Duque carried out multiple financial transactions, worth millions," the Treasury statement stated.

Colombian national Mónica Muñoz was the fourth individual to be sanctioned, with the firm she operated alleged to have financial transactions linked to Duque and his companies.

"Washington reiterates its demand for outside forces to halt the flow of funding and arms to the combatants," the agency stated.

Analyst Commentary

An expert, from a conflict think tank, labeled the actions as a "very significant" milestone, noting that "calling out those who are doing the contracting is the proper strategy".

Furthermore, Colombia has enacted a piece of legislation ratifying the anti-mercenary convention, designed to limit its citizens' long history in international fights and reshape domestic defense strategy.

A mercenary specialist, a scholar on the subject, advised additional measures, saying that "restrictions are needed but not enough for combating the growing mercenary trade".

"This is a shadow economy and centered in the UAE, which is relatively sanction-proof," he stated. The UAE has been frequently alleged of supplying weapons to the paramilitary group, claims it rejects. "Expect more Colombian mercenaries," the expert cautioned.