🔗 Share this article

The United States has enforced penalties on a operation of several persons and entities charged of enlisting South American contractors to fight for and train a militia force in Sudan the United States claims of acts of genocide.

Group Makeup

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

Scores of ex-soldiers from Colombia have allegedly journeyed to Sudan to combat beside the RSF paramilitary group, a group linked to horrific war crimes including targeted ethnic killings and large-scale abductions.

Emergence of Involvement

The role of these mercenaries first came to light the previous year, after an investigation which disclosed that hundreds of former soldiers had been hired to fight – an revelation that prompted an rare mea culpa from the Colombian government.

Colombian ex-soldiers have widely regarded as some of the most in-demand contractors globally due to their vast combat experience gleaned from years of internal conflict, training on Western military gear, and elite military instruction.

Reported Actions

In the Sudanese theater, the contractors have reportedly trained minors, provided drone warfare training, and engaged in frontline combat. An individual involved was quoted as saying that instructing minors was "awful and crazy" but noted that "unfortunately that’s how war is".

Targeted Persons

Among those penalized was a retired Colombian officer, a citizen of both Colombia and Italy and retired Colombian military officer located in the United Arab Emirates. The US authorities accused him a pivotal function in enlisting and transporting mercenaries to Sudan. His spouse, Claudia Oliveros, was penalized as well.

Also on the sanctions list was Mateo Duque Botero, a individual with Colombian and Spanish citizenship who officials alleged managed a business implicated in managing finances and payments for the scheme. "In 2024 and 2025, US-based firms linked to Duque carried out several money transfers, worth millions," the government release noted.

Individual Mónica Muñoz was the fourth individual to be penalized, with the firm she operated accused of financial transactions linked to Duque and his companies.

"Washington reiterates its demand for external actors to halt the flow of financial and military support to the combatants," the department announced.

Expert Analysis

An expert, senior analyst at the International Crisis Group, described the sanctions as a "very significant" milestone, stating that "calling out those who are doing the contracting is the proper strategy".

She added that, the Colombian government ratified a piece of legislation approving the anti-mercenary convention, aiming to curb years of participation by its nationals in overseas wars and change domestic defense strategy.

A mercenary specialist, a scholar on the subject, advised additional measures, noting that "restrictions are needed but not enough for combating the growing mercenary trade".

"It operates in the black market and centered in the UAE, which is difficult to penalize," he commented. The Emirati government has been frequently alleged of arming the RSF, claims it rejects. "Expect more Colombian mercenaries," McFate warned.