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The United States has enforced penalties on a operation of four people and four firms accused of enlisting former Colombian soldiers to support and educate a Sudanese paramilitary group the United States claims of acts of genocide.

Operation Structure

Revealing the measures on this week, the US Treasury Department stated the network was mostly comprised of Colombian nationals and companies.

Numerous of ex-soldiers from Colombia have reportedly travelled to the Sudanese warzone to fight alongside the RSF paramilitary group, a faction implicated in severe violations including massacres based on ethnicity and mass abductions.

Emergence of Involvement

The involvement of Colombian fighters initially emerged last year, prompted by an inquiry which revealed that more than 300 retired troops had been recruited to fight – an discovery that resulted in an unusual statement of regret from Colombia’s foreign ministry.

Former Colombian military have historically been seen as among the world’s most sought-after mercenaries due to their extensive battlefield experience gleaned from a long-running domestic war, training on Western military gear, and elite military instruction.

Role in the Conflict

In Sudan, the contractors have allegedly instructed child soldiers, taught fighters to pilot drones, and fought directly on the frontlines. An individual involved remarked that training children was "terrible and insane" but added that "unfortunately that’s how war is".

Sanctioned Individuals

Among those sanctioned was a dual national, a dual Colombian-Italian national and former army officer based in the Dubai. The Treasury accused him a key part in recruiting and deploying ex-military personnel to Sudan. His wife, Claudia Viviana Oliveros Forero, was similarly targeted.

Also on the penalty list was Mateo Duque Botero, a dual Colombian-Spanish citizen who the Treasury stated managed a business implicated in processing money and salaries for the scheme. "In 2024 and 2025, companies in the United States associated with Duque carried out multiple financial transactions, amounting to millions," the Treasury statement said.

Individual Mónica Muñoz was the fourth individual to be targeted, with the firm she operated accused of money transfers linked to Duque and his companies.

"Washington reiterates its demand for foreign parties to halt the flow of funding and arms to the belligerents," the agency stated.

Analyst Commentary

A senior analyst, with the International Crisis Group, described the sanctions as a "major" milestone, saying that "identifying the recruiters is the right way to go".

Furthermore, Bogotá ratified a law endorsing the International Convention Against the Recruitment and Use of Mercenaries, aiming to curb its citizens' long history in overseas wars and change national security policy.

Another expert, a scholar on the subject, advised additional measures, stating that "restrictions are needed but not enough for combating rampant mercenarism".

"This is a shadow economy and centered in Dubai, which is difficult to penalize," he stated. The UAE has been repeatedly implicated of supplying weapons to the paramilitary group, an accusation it has denied. "This trend will probably continue," he advised.