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The Washington has levied restrictions on a network of four people and four firms alleged of enlisting former Colombian soldiers to combat alongside and instruct a Sudanese paramilitary group that Washington accuses of genocidal acts.

Network Composition

Disclosing the sanctions on this week, the US Treasury Department stated the operation was primarily made up of Colombian citizens and firms.

Numerous of former Colombian military personnel have allegedly journeyed to the conflict in Sudan to fight alongside the RSF paramilitary group, a faction linked to horrific war crimes encompassing massacres based on ethnicity and large-scale abductions.

Discovery of Participation

The role of these mercenaries initially emerged in 2024, prompted by an inquiry which found that hundreds of retired troops had been recruited to fight – an discovery that led to an rare mea culpa from Colombia’s foreign ministry.

Former Colombian military have historically been seen as some of the most in-demand contractors globally due to their considerable warzone knowledge resulting from decades of civil war, training on Nato equipment, and high-level combat training.

Activities in Sudan

In Sudan, the Colombians have reportedly trained underage fighters, taught fighters to pilot drones, and engaged in frontline combat. An individual involved remarked that working with child soldiers was "awful and crazy" but commented that "regrettably, war operates that way".

Sanctioned Individuals

Among those targeted was a retired Colombian officer, a dual Colombian-Italian national and ex-soldier operating from the Dubai. The Treasury said he had a key part in enlisting and transporting former Colombian soldiers to Sudan. His wife, Claudia Viviana Oliveros Forero, was similarly targeted.

Also on the sanctions list was Mateo Andrés Duque Botero, a dual national who the Treasury stated ran a firm implicated in handling funds and payroll for the network. "Recently, American entities associated with Duque conducted several money transfers, worth millions," the government release noted.

Citizen of Colombia Mónica Muñoz was the other individual to be penalized, with the firm she operated said to have conducted wire transfers connected to Duque and his companies.

"The US once more urges outside forces to halt the flow of monetary and weaponry aid to the combatants," the Treasury stated.

Reaction

An expert, from a conflict think tank, called the actions as a "major" milestone, saying that "calling out those who are doing the contracting is the right way to go".

It was also noted that, Bogotá ratified a statute ratifying the global treaty against mercenarism, seeking to reduce its citizens' long history in overseas wars and change national security policy.

Sean McFate, an expert on mercenaries, advised additional measures, saying that "restrictions are needed but not enough for addressing the growing mercenary trade".

"It’s an illicit economy and operating from the UAE, which is difficult to penalize," he said. The UAE has been repeatedly implicated of supplying weapons to the paramilitary group, allegations it disputes. "More contractors from Colombia are likely," McFate warned.