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The United States has imposed sanctions on a network of four individuals and four companies alleged of enlisting former Colombian soldiers to support and educate a Sudanese paramilitary group the United States claims of genocidal acts.

Network Composition

Announcing the sanctions on Tuesday, the American treasury stated the scheme was mostly comprised of individuals and businesses from Colombia.

Numerous of ex-soldiers from Colombia have allegedly journeyed to the Sudanese warzone to operate with the RSF paramilitary group, a force accused of horrific war crimes including targeted ethnic killings and mass abductions.

Emergence of Involvement

The role of these mercenaries initially emerged last year, prompted by an inquiry which found that over three hundred ex-military personnel had been recruited to fight – an discovery that resulted in an unusual statement of regret from the Colombian government.

These South American veterans have historically been seen as some of the most in-demand contractors globally due to their vast combat experience gleaned from a long-running domestic war, training on advanced weaponry, and superior tactical education.

Reported Actions

In the Sudanese theater, the mercenaries have allegedly instructed underage fighters, instructed militiamen in drone operation, and participated in direct battles. A mercenary remarked that working with child soldiers was "awful and crazy" but noted that "unfortunately that’s how war is".

Named Entities

Among those sanctioned was a retired Colombian officer, a individual with dual citizenship and ex-soldier located in the UAE. The Treasury accused him a key part in enlisting and transporting former Colombian soldiers to Sudan. His spouse, Claudia Viviana Oliveros Forero, was penalized as well.

Also on the sanctions list was Mateo Duque Botero, a dual Colombian-Spanish citizen who the Treasury stated oversaw a company implicated in managing finances and payments for the scheme. "In 2024 and 2025, American entities connected to Duque conducted several money transfers, totalling millions of US dollars," the government release said.

Citizen of Colombia Mónica Muñoz was the other individual to be targeted, with the entity she oversaw said to have conducted financial transactions linked to Duque and his operations.

"Washington reiterates its demand for external actors to cease providing monetary and weaponry aid to the warring parties," the Treasury said in a statement.

Expert Analysis

An expert, with the International Crisis Group, labeled the actions as a "major" development, saying that "calling out those who are doing the contracting is the correct approach".

It was also noted that, Colombia ratified a statute endorsing the global treaty against mercenarism, seeking to reduce its citizens' long history in international fights and reshape its security approach.

Sean McFate, a authority on private military contractors, advised additional measures, noting that "sanctions are necessary but insufficient for dealing with the growing mercenary trade".

"It’s an illicit economy and based out of the Emirates, which is difficult to penalize," he said. The UAE has been repeatedly implicated of supplying weapons to the paramilitary group, claims it rejects. "Expect more Colombian mercenaries," he advised.