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The US government has enforced penalties on a group of four people and four firms charged of enlisting South American contractors to fight for and train a armed faction in Sudan which the US alleges of genocidal acts.

Network Composition

Announcing the restrictions on Tuesday, the US Treasury Department stated the operation was largely composed of Colombian nationals and companies.

Numerous of ex-soldiers from Colombia have reportedly travelled to Sudan to operate with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a faction linked to severe violations including massacres based on ethnicity and large-scale abductions.

Discovery of Participation

The participation of ex-soldiers first came to light in 2024, after an inquiry which found that hundreds of ex-military personnel had been hired to engage in combat – an discovery that led to an unprecedented apology from officials in Bogotá.

Colombian ex-soldiers have historically been seen as among the world’s most sought-after mercenaries due to their considerable warzone knowledge resulting from years of internal conflict, familiarity with Nato equipment, and superior tactical education.

Activities in Sudan

In the conflict, the Colombians have been accused of teaching minors, provided drone warfare training, and fought directly on the frontlines. A mercenary remarked that training children was "terrible and insane" but commented that "unfortunately that’s how war is".

Named Entities

Among those penalized was a retired Colombian officer, a citizen of both Colombia and Italy and retired Colombian military officer based in the United Arab Emirates. The government said he had a central role in recruiting and deploying ex-military personnel to Sudan. His spouse, Claudia Viviana Oliveros Forero, was similarly targeted.

Also on the sanctions list was Mateo Duque Botero, a dual Colombian-Spanish citizen who the Treasury stated managed a business linked to handling funds and payroll for the scheme. "In 2024 and 2025, American entities associated with Duque conducted multiple financial transactions, amounting to millions," the Treasury statement stated.

Individual Mónica Muñoz was the final person to be targeted, with the firm she operated accused of money transfers connected to Duque and his companies.

"Washington reiterates its demand for outside forces to stop giving financial and military support to the combatants," the Treasury stated.

Analyst Commentary

An expert, from a conflict think tank, called the sanctions as a "highly important" development, saying that "identifying the recruiters is the correct approach".

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

Another expert, an expert on mercenaries, advised additional measures, stating that "restrictions are needed but not enough for dealing with rampant mercenarism".

"This is a shadow economy and operating from the Emirates, which is difficult to penalize," he said. The Emirati government has been frequently alleged of arming the RSF, claims it rejects. "More contractors from Colombia are likely," he advised.