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The United States has levied restrictions on a operation of four individuals and four companies accused of hiring Colombian mercenaries to support and educate a militia force in Sudan which the US alleges of genocidal acts.

Operation Structure

Disclosing the restrictions on this week, the US Treasury Department stated the operation was largely composed of Colombian citizens and firms.

Hundreds of ex-soldiers from Colombia have reportedly travelled to the conflict in Sudan to fight alongside the RSF paramilitary group, a group linked to horrific war crimes such as massacres based on ethnicity and widespread kidnappings.

Emergence of Involvement

The participation of ex-soldiers first came to light in 2024, after an inquiry which revealed that more than 300 ex-military personnel had been recruited to participate in the war – an discovery that led to an rare mea culpa from the Colombian government.

Colombian ex-soldiers have long been considered as some of the most in-demand contractors globally due to their extensive battlefield experience gleaned from a long-running domestic war, knowledge of Western military gear, and elite military instruction.

Activities in Sudan

In the conflict, the mercenaries have allegedly instructed minors, taught fighters to pilot drones, and participated in direct battles. An individual involved was quoted as saying that instructing minors was "terrible and insane" but noted that "unfortunately that’s how war is".

Sanctioned Individuals

Among those penalized was a dual national, a citizen of both Colombia and Italy and ex-soldier located in the Dubai. The US authorities alleged he played a pivotal function in hiring and sending former Colombian soldiers to Sudan. His wife, Claudia Viviana Oliveros Forero, was penalized as well.

Also on the penalty list was Mateo Andrés Duque Botero, a dual Colombian-Spanish citizen who the Treasury stated managed a business linked to handling funds and payroll for the recruitment operation. "In 2024 and 2025, American entities associated with Duque engaged in multiple financial transactions, totalling millions of US dollars," the government release said.

Citizen of Colombia Mónica Muñoz Ucros was the fourth individual to be penalized, with the company she managed accused of financial transactions linked to Duque and his operations.

"Washington reiterates its demand for outside forces to cease providing funding and arms to the belligerents," the department said in a statement.

Reaction

A senior analyst, from a conflict think tank, called the sanctions as a "major" development, saying that "calling out those who are doing the contracting is the correct approach".

Furthermore, the Colombian government has enacted a piece of legislation approving the global treaty against mercenarism, aiming to curb 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, stating that "penalties are required yet incomplete for dealing with widespread use of contractors".

"This is a shadow economy and based out of Dubai, which is relatively sanction-proof," he said. The UAE has been repeatedly implicated of providing arms to the militia, an accusation it has denied. "More contractors from Colombia are likely," he advised.