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The Washington has imposed sanctions on a group of several persons and entities charged of enlisting South American contractors to fight for and train a Sudanese paramilitary group that Washington accuses of committing genocide.

Network Composition

Disclosing the sanctions on this week, the American treasury stated the scheme was primarily made up of individuals and businesses from Colombia.

Numerous of ex-soldiers from Colombia have reportedly travelled to the conflict in Sudan to combat beside the RSF paramilitary group, a force implicated in terrible atrocities such as massacres based on ethnicity and widespread kidnappings.

Revelation of Role

The involvement of Colombian fighters initially emerged in 2024, after an inquiry which disclosed that hundreds of ex-military personnel had been recruited to participate in the war – an discovery that prompted an unprecedented apology from Colombia’s foreign ministry.

Former Colombian military have long been considered as among the world’s most sought-after mercenaries due to their vast combat experience acquired during a long-running domestic war, familiarity with Nato equipment, and elite military instruction.

Reported Actions

In the Sudanese theater, the mercenaries have allegedly instructed minors, taught fighters to pilot drones, and fought directly on the frontlines. An individual involved previously stated that training children was "terrible and insane" but noted that "unfortunately that’s how war is".

Sanctioned Individuals

Among those targeted 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 key part in hiring and sending mercenaries to Sudan. His spouse, Claudia Viviana Oliveros Forero, was also sanctioned.

Also on the restricted list was Duque Botero, a dual Colombian-Spanish citizen who the Treasury stated oversaw a company accused of handling funds and payroll for the recruitment operation. "Over the past two years, US-based firms connected to Duque engaged in multiple financial transactions, amounting to millions," the Treasury statement said.

Individual Mónica Muñoz was the fourth individual to be targeted, with the company she managed accused of financial transactions connected to Duque and his companies.

"The United States again calls on foreign parties to stop giving monetary and weaponry aid to the combatants," the agency said in a statement.

Analyst Commentary

Elizabeth Dickinson, senior analyst at the International Crisis Group, called the actions as a "highly important" milestone, noting that "targeting the enablers is the proper strategy".

She added that, Bogotá recently passed a statute ratifying the anti-mercenary convention, designed to limit years of participation by its nationals in foreign conflicts and reshape national security policy.

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

"It operates in the black market and centered in the Emirates, which is largely insulated from sanctions," he said. The Emirati government has been widely accused of providing arms to the militia, allegations it disputes. "This trend will probably continue," McFate warned.