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The United States has imposed sanctions on a network of several persons and entities charged of recruiting South American contractors to support and educate a Sudanese paramilitary group that Washington accuses of acts of genocide.

Operation Structure

Announcing the measures on Tuesday, the Treasury stated the network was largely composed of Colombian citizens and firms.

Scores of ex-soldiers from Colombia have been recruited to go to the Sudanese warzone to combat beside the Sudanese RSF militia, a group implicated in horrific war crimes such as targeted ethnic killings and large-scale abductions.

Emergence of Involvement

The role of these mercenaries first came to light in 2024, following an report which disclosed that hundreds of former soldiers had been contracted to engage in combat – an event that led to an unprecedented apology from the Colombian government.

Colombian ex-soldiers have widely regarded as some of the most in-demand contractors globally due to their extensive battlefield experience acquired during decades of civil war, training on Nato equipment, and superior tactical education.

Reported Actions

In the Sudanese theater, the Colombians have allegedly instructed minors, provided drone warfare training, and fought directly on the frontlines. One source previously stated that working with child soldiers was "terrible and insane" but commented that "unfortunately that’s how war is".

Targeted Persons

Among those sanctioned was a dual national, a individual with dual citizenship and retired Colombian military officer located in the Dubai. The US authorities said he had a key part in enlisting and transporting ex-military personnel to Sudan. His wife, Claudia Viviana Oliveros Forero, was similarly targeted.

Also on the restricted list was Mateo Andrés Duque Botero, a dual national who officials alleged managed a business implicated in handling funds and payroll for the scheme. "Over the past two years, companies in the United States linked to Duque engaged in multiple financial transactions, worth millions," the official announcement stated.

Individual Mónica Muñoz was the final person to be sanctioned, with the firm she operated said to have conducted financial transactions connected to Duque and his companies.

"The US once more urges external actors to cease providing monetary and weaponry aid to the belligerents," the Treasury stated.

Expert Analysis

Elizabeth Dickinson, senior analyst at the International Crisis Group, described the sanctions as a "very significant" development, saying that "calling out those who are doing the contracting is the right way to go".

She added that, the Colombian government ratified a statute approving the global treaty against mercenarism, designed to limit decades of Colombian involvement in foreign conflicts and transform its security approach.

A mercenary specialist, an expert on mercenaries, advised additional measures, stating that "penalties are required yet incomplete for combating widespread use of contractors".

"It’s an illicit economy and operating from the Emirates, which is largely insulated from sanctions," he said. The Emirati government has been frequently alleged of arming the RSF, claims it rejects. "This trend will probably continue," the expert cautioned.