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The Washington has imposed sanctions on a group of four individuals and four companies charged of hiring Colombian mercenaries to support and educate a Sudanese paramilitary group that Washington accuses of committing genocide.

Group Makeup

Disclosing the sanctions on this week, the Treasury stated the operation was mostly comprised of Colombian nationals and companies.

Numerous of retired Colombian troops have reportedly travelled to the Sudanese warzone to combat beside the Sudanese RSF militia, a force accused of horrific war crimes encompassing ethnically targeted slaughter and mass abductions.

Emergence of Involvement

The role of these mercenaries initially emerged in 2024, following an investigation which disclosed that more than 300 ex-military personnel had been recruited to engage in combat – an discovery that led to an unusual statement of regret from Colombia’s foreign ministry.

Former Colombian military have historically been seen 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.

Role in the Conflict

In the Sudanese theater, the contractors have allegedly instructed underage fighters, provided drone warfare training, and engaged in frontline combat. One source was quoted as saying that working with child soldiers was "horrific and irrational" but added that "regrettably, war operates that way".

Targeted Persons

Among those sanctioned was a retired Colombian officer, a dual Colombian-Italian national and retired Colombian military officer located in the United Arab Emirates. The Treasury accused him a key part in enlisting and transporting former Colombian soldiers to Sudan. His wife, Claudia Oliveros, was similarly targeted.

Also on the penalty list was Mateo Andrés Duque Botero, a dual Colombian-Spanish citizen who officials alleged oversaw a company accused of handling funds and payroll for the network. "Over the past two years, companies in the United States connected to Duque engaged in multiple financial transactions, worth millions," the government release stated.

Individual Mónica Muñoz Ucros was the other individual to be penalized, with the company she managed alleged to have money transfers connected to Duque and his companies.

"The United States again calls on outside forces to stop giving financial and military support to the combatants," the Treasury stated.

Reaction

A senior analyst, with the International Crisis Group, called the sanctions as a "major" development, saying that "calling out those who are doing the contracting is the correct approach".

It was also noted that, Bogotá recently passed a piece of legislation approving the International Convention Against the Recruitment and Use of Mercenaries, designed to limit its citizens' long history in international fights and transform its security approach.

Another expert, a scholar on the subject, advised additional measures, saying that "restrictions are needed but not enough for addressing widespread use of contractors".

"It’s an illicit economy and centered in Dubai, which is largely insulated from sanctions," he commented. The UAE has been frequently alleged of arming the RSF, an accusation it has denied. "More contractors from Colombia are likely," the expert cautioned.