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The US government has levied restrictions on a network of four people and four firms alleged of recruiting former Colombian soldiers to fight for and train a militia force in Sudan that Washington accuses of genocidal acts.

Operation Structure

Disclosing the sanctions on Tuesday, the Treasury stated the network was mostly comprised of individuals and businesses from Colombia.

Hundreds of former Colombian military personnel have reportedly travelled to the conflict in Sudan to operate with the Sudanese RSF militia, a group accused of terrible atrocities encompassing ethnically targeted slaughter and large-scale abductions.

Emergence of Involvement

The involvement of Colombian fighters first came to light in 2024, following an report which revealed that more than 300 ex-military personnel had been contracted to fight – an discovery that led to an unprecedented apology from Colombia’s foreign ministry.

Former Colombian military have historically been seen as among the world’s most sought-after mercenaries due to their extensive battlefield experience gleaned from a long-running domestic war, familiarity with advanced weaponry, and high-level combat training.

Reported Actions

In the Sudanese theater, the contractors have reportedly trained minors, taught fighters to pilot drones, and participated in direct battles. An individual involved was quoted as saying that instructing minors was "awful and crazy" but noted that "unfortunately that’s how war is".

Sanctioned Individuals

Among those penalized was a dual national, a individual with dual citizenship and retired Colombian military officer located in the UAE. The US authorities accused him a central role in enlisting and transporting former Colombian soldiers to Sudan. His wife, Claudia Oliveros, was similarly targeted.

Also on the penalty list was Duque Botero, a dual national who the Treasury stated ran a firm linked to handling funds and payroll for the network. "Over the past two years, companies in the United States connected to Duque carried out several money transfers, worth millions," the official announcement said.

Individual Mónica Muñoz was the other individual to be sanctioned, with the company she managed alleged to have financial transactions linked to Duque and his companies.

"The United States again calls on outside forces to stop giving monetary and weaponry aid to the belligerents," the department announced.

Reaction

Elizabeth Dickinson, with the International Crisis Group, called the measures as a "highly important" milestone, noting that "calling out those who are doing the contracting is the proper strategy".

She added that, the Colombian government recently passed a piece of legislation endorsing the global treaty against mercenarism, aiming to curb its citizens' long history in overseas wars and change domestic defense strategy.

A mercenary specialist, a authority on private military contractors, called for greater wariness, noting that "restrictions are needed but not enough for combating rampant mercenarism".

"It’s an illicit economy and based out of Dubai, which is difficult to penalize," he commented. The United Arab Emirates has been widely accused of supplying weapons to the paramilitary group, allegations it disputes. "More contractors from Colombia are likely," he advised.