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The US government has levied restrictions on a group of four people and four firms alleged of recruiting former Colombian soldiers to combat alongside and instruct a Sudanese paramilitary group which the US alleges of committing genocide.

Operation Structure

Revealing the sanctions on Tuesday, the US Treasury Department stated the scheme was largely composed of Colombian citizens and firms.

Hundreds of retired Colombian troops have been recruited to go to the conflict in Sudan to combat beside the Sudanese RSF militia, a force linked to severe violations including targeted ethnic killings and mass abductions.

Revelation of Role

The involvement of Colombian fighters initially emerged in 2024, after an investigation which revealed that over three hundred ex-military personnel had been recruited to participate in the war – an revelation that resulted in an unprecedented apology from the Colombian government.

Colombian ex-soldiers have long been considered as among the world’s most sought-after mercenaries due to their extensive battlefield experience gleaned from a long-running domestic war, knowledge of Western military gear, and high-level combat training.

Role in the Conflict

In Sudan, the Colombians have reportedly trained minors, provided drone warfare training, and participated in direct battles. A mercenary remarked that training children was "horrific and irrational" but noted that "unfortunately that’s how war is".

Targeted Persons

Among those sanctioned was a retired Colombian officer, a dual Colombian-Italian national and former army officer based in the UAE. The government accused him a central role in enlisting and transporting former Colombian soldiers to Sudan. His wife, Claudia Oliveros, was also sanctioned.

Also on the sanctions list was Mateo Duque Botero, a dual Colombian-Spanish citizen who the Treasury stated ran a firm accused of managing finances and payments for the network. "Over the past two years, US-based firms connected to Duque carried out numerous wire transfers, worth millions," the Treasury statement stated.

Colombian national Mónica Muñoz Ucros was the other individual to be targeted, with the entity she oversaw accused of money transfers linked to Duque and his businesses.

"The United States again calls on outside forces to halt the flow of financial and military support to the belligerents," the department announced.

Expert Analysis

Elizabeth Dickinson, from a conflict think tank, described the sanctions as a "very significant" step, stating that "calling out those who are doing the contracting is the correct approach".

She added that, the Colombian government has enacted a piece of legislation ratifying the International Convention Against the Recruitment and Use of Mercenaries, aiming to curb years of participation by its nationals in overseas wars and transform its security approach.

Another expert, an expert on mercenaries, urged more caution, saying that "penalties are required yet incomplete for combating widespread use of contractors".

"It’s an illicit economy and operating from Dubai, which is largely insulated from sanctions," he commented. The UAE has been widely accused of arming the RSF, claims it rejects. "More contractors from Colombia are likely," McFate warned.