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The United States has levied restrictions on a network of four individuals and four companies alleged of hiring Colombian mercenaries to support and educate a Sudanese paramilitary group that Washington accuses of committing genocide.

Network Composition

Announcing the measures on this week, the American treasury stated the scheme was mostly comprised of individuals and businesses from Colombia.

Hundreds of retired Colombian troops have reportedly travelled to the Sudanese warzone to fight alongside the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a force implicated in terrible atrocities encompassing massacres based on ethnicity and widespread kidnappings.

Discovery of Participation

The involvement of Colombian fighters initially emerged last year, after an report which disclosed that hundreds of ex-military personnel had been recruited to fight – an revelation that led to an unprecedented apology from Colombia’s foreign ministry.

Colombian ex-soldiers have widely regarded as among the world’s most sought-after mercenaries due to their extensive battlefield experience acquired during decades of civil war, training on advanced weaponry, and high-level combat training.

Activities in Sudan

In the conflict, the Colombians have reportedly trained minors, provided drone warfare training, and engaged in frontline combat. A mercenary previously stated that training children was "terrible and insane" but commented that "sadly, that is the nature of conflict".

Named Entities

Among those targeted was a dual national, a citizen of both Colombia and Italy and retired Colombian military officer located in the Dubai. The government accused him a central role in enlisting and transporting ex-military personnel to Sudan. His spouse, Claudia Viviana Oliveros Forero, was also sanctioned.

Also on the penalty list was Mateo Andrés Duque Botero, a individual with Colombian and Spanish citizenship who officials alleged managed a business implicated in handling funds and payroll for the recruitment operation. "In 2024 and 2025, American entities associated with Duque conducted numerous wire transfers, amounting to millions," the official announcement stated.

Citizen of Colombia Mónica Muñoz Ucros was the final person to be penalized, with the firm she operated alleged to have financial transactions associated with Duque and his companies.

"The United States again calls on external actors to cease providing financial and military support to the warring parties," the Treasury announced.

Expert Analysis

An expert, from a conflict think tank, labeled the measures as a "major" step, noting that "targeting the enablers is the proper strategy".

It was also noted that, the Colombian government recently passed a law ratifying the International Convention Against the Recruitment and Use of Mercenaries, seeking to reduce decades of Colombian involvement in international fights and transform its security approach.

Another expert, a authority on private military contractors, advised additional measures, saying that "sanctions are necessary but insufficient for addressing the growing mercenary trade".

"It’s an illicit economy and centered in the Emirates, which is difficult to penalize," he stated. The Emirati government has been repeatedly implicated of providing arms to the militia, claims it rejects. "More contractors from Colombia are likely," he advised.