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The Washington has levied restrictions on a operation of four individuals and four companies charged of recruiting Colombian mercenaries to fight for and train a Sudanese paramilitary group the United States claims of committing genocide.

Group Makeup

Disclosing the sanctions on this week, the US Treasury Department stated the operation was mostly comprised of individuals and businesses from Colombia.

Numerous of former Colombian military personnel have been recruited to go to the Sudanese warzone to fight alongside the RSF paramilitary group, a force linked to severe violations such as massacres based on ethnicity and widespread kidnappings.

Discovery of Participation

The participation of ex-soldiers initially emerged last year, prompted by an report which revealed that over three hundred ex-military personnel had been recruited to participate in the war – an revelation that led to an rare mea culpa from officials in Bogotá.

Former Colombian military have long been considered as some of the most in-demand contractors globally due to their vast combat experience gleaned from decades of civil war, training on Western military gear, and elite military instruction.

Reported Actions

In Sudan, the contractors have allegedly instructed underage fighters, provided drone warfare training, and participated in direct battles. An individual involved previously stated that instructing minors was "horrific and irrational" but added that "sadly, that is the nature of conflict".

Named Entities

Among those sanctioned was a retired Colombian officer, a citizen of both Colombia and Italy and ex-soldier located in the Dubai. The Treasury accused him a key part in enlisting and transporting ex-military personnel to Sudan. His spouse, Claudia Viviana Oliveros Forero, was also sanctioned.

Also on the sanctions list was Duque Botero, a dual national who authorities say managed a business implicated in managing finances and payments for the scheme. "In 2024 and 2025, American entities associated with Duque engaged in multiple financial transactions, totalling millions of US dollars," the Treasury statement said.

Individual Mónica Muñoz was the final person to be targeted, with the entity she oversaw alleged to have financial transactions associated with Duque and his companies.

"Washington reiterates its demand for outside forces to halt the flow of monetary and weaponry aid to the warring parties," the agency said in a statement.

Reaction

Elizabeth Dickinson, senior analyst at the International Crisis Group, labeled the sanctions as a "major" step, noting that "calling out those who are doing the contracting is the correct approach".

She added that, the Colombian government ratified a statute ratifying the anti-mercenary convention, aiming to curb years of participation by its nationals in foreign conflicts and transform domestic defense strategy.

Another expert, a scholar on the subject, called for greater wariness, stating that "penalties are required yet incomplete for dealing with widespread use of contractors".

"It’s an illicit economy and operating from the Emirates, which is largely insulated from sanctions," he stated. The United Arab Emirates has been frequently alleged of supplying weapons to the paramilitary group, claims it rejects. "Expect more Colombian mercenaries," he advised.