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The United States has enforced penalties on a network of four individuals and four companies alleged of recruiting South American contractors to support and educate a armed faction in Sudan that Washington accuses of acts of genocide.

Operation Structure

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

Scores of ex-soldiers from Colombia have reportedly travelled to Sudan to operate with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a faction implicated in horrific war crimes encompassing targeted ethnic killings and mass abductions.

Discovery of Participation

The participation of ex-soldiers first came to light in 2024, prompted by an inquiry which disclosed that hundreds of former soldiers had been hired to participate in the war – an discovery that resulted in an unprecedented apology from officials in Bogotá.

Colombian ex-soldiers have long been considered as some of the most in-demand contractors globally due to their vast combat experience gleaned from years of internal conflict, training on Western military gear, and superior tactical education.

Activities in Sudan

In Sudan, the Colombians have reportedly trained child soldiers, provided drone warfare training, and engaged in frontline combat. A mercenary was quoted as saying that working with child soldiers was "terrible and insane" but noted that "sadly, that is the nature of conflict".

Targeted Persons

Among those sanctioned was a retired Colombian officer, a citizen of both Colombia and Italy and ex-soldier based in the United Arab Emirates. The government alleged he played a pivotal function in enlisting and transporting former Colombian soldiers to Sudan. His wife, Claudia Viviana Oliveros Forero, was similarly targeted.

Also on the restricted list was Mateo Andrés Duque Botero, a dual national who authorities say oversaw a company accused of handling funds and payroll for the scheme. "In 2024 and 2025, US-based firms associated with Duque carried out numerous wire transfers, totalling millions of US dollars," the official announcement noted.

Colombian national Mónica Muñoz Ucros was the other individual to be targeted, with the entity she oversaw accused of financial transactions connected to Duque and his operations.

"The United States again calls on outside forces to cease providing monetary and weaponry aid to the belligerents," the Treasury announced.

Analyst Commentary

A senior analyst, with the International Crisis Group, called the measures as a "major" development, stating that "targeting the enablers is the right way to go".

She added that, Bogotá has enacted a piece of legislation approving the global treaty against mercenarism, designed to limit years of participation by its nationals in foreign conflicts and reshape national security policy.

A mercenary specialist, a scholar on the subject, advised additional measures, stating that "penalties are required yet incomplete for dealing with widespread use of contractors".

"This is a shadow economy and based out of Dubai, which is difficult to penalize," he commented. The Emirati government has been widely accused of arming the RSF, an accusation it has denied. "Expect more Colombian mercenaries," McFate warned.