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The US government has levied restrictions on a group of four individuals and four companies charged of enlisting Colombian mercenaries to combat alongside and instruct a Sudanese paramilitary group which the US alleges of committing genocide.

Operation Structure

Announcing the measures on this week, the Treasury stated the operation was primarily made up of Colombian citizens and firms.

Scores of former Colombian military personnel have allegedly journeyed to the Sudanese warzone to fight alongside the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a force accused of horrific war crimes such as targeted ethnic killings and widespread kidnappings.

Emergence of Involvement

The participation of ex-soldiers first came to light the previous year, after an report which revealed that more than 300 retired troops had been hired to engage in combat – an discovery that led to 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, training on advanced weaponry, and high-level combat training.

Reported Actions

In Sudan, the Colombians have been accused of teaching underage fighters, provided drone warfare training, and fought directly on the frontlines. A mercenary previously stated that instructing minors was "terrible and insane" but noted that "regrettably, war operates that way".

Targeted Persons

Among those sanctioned was a dual national, a individual with dual citizenship and former army officer based in the UAE. The government alleged he played a key part in recruiting and deploying ex-military personnel to Sudan. His wife, Claudia Oliveros, was penalized as well.

Also on the penalty list was Duque Botero, a individual with Colombian and Spanish citizenship who the Treasury stated managed a business accused of handling funds and payroll for the network. "In 2024 and 2025, US-based firms connected to Duque carried out numerous wire transfers, totalling millions of US dollars," the official announcement said.

Individual Mónica Muñoz was the final person 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 foreign parties to stop giving funding and arms to the belligerents," the agency said in a statement.

Reaction

An expert, from a conflict think tank, described the sanctions as a "major" milestone, saying that "targeting the enablers is the correct approach".

She added that, Colombia ratified a law ratifying the International Convention Against the Recruitment and Use of Mercenaries, seeking to reduce years of participation by its nationals in foreign conflicts and reshape domestic defense strategy.

A mercenary specialist, a scholar on the subject, called for greater wariness, saying that "sanctions are necessary but insufficient for addressing widespread use of contractors".

"It operates in the black market and based out of Dubai, which is relatively sanction-proof," he said. The Emirati government has been repeatedly implicated of supplying weapons to the paramilitary group, an accusation it has denied. "Expect more Colombian mercenaries," McFate warned.