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The United States has enforced penalties on a operation of several persons and entities accused of enlisting former Colombian soldiers to combat alongside and instruct a armed faction in Sudan which the US alleges of genocidal acts.

Network Composition

Disclosing the sanctions on this week, the US Treasury Department stated the operation was largely composed of individuals and businesses from Colombia.

Scores 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 such as ethnically targeted slaughter and large-scale abductions.

Emergence of Involvement

The role of these mercenaries initially emerged in 2024, prompted by an inquiry which found that hundreds of ex-military personnel had been contracted to fight – an discovery that led to an rare mea culpa from Colombia’s foreign ministry.

Former Colombian military have historically been seen as some of the most in-demand contractors globally due to their vast combat experience gleaned from decades of civil war, training on Western military gear, and elite military instruction.

Reported Actions

In the conflict, the mercenaries have been accused of teaching minors, instructed militiamen in drone operation, and fought directly on the frontlines. A mercenary previously stated that working with child soldiers was "awful and crazy" but noted that "unfortunately that’s how war is".

Named Entities

Among those sanctioned was a dual national, a citizen of both Colombia and Italy and ex-soldier based in the United Arab Emirates. The government said he had a key part in hiring and sending former Colombian soldiers to Sudan. His wife, Claudia Oliveros, was penalized as well.

Also on the penalty list was Mateo Duque Botero, a individual with Colombian and Spanish citizenship who officials alleged oversaw a company accused of managing finances and payments for the recruitment operation. "In 2024 and 2025, American entities connected to Duque engaged in multiple financial transactions, worth millions," the Treasury statement stated.

Colombian national Mónica Muñoz Ucros was the fourth individual to be penalized, with the entity she oversaw alleged to have wire transfers associated with Duque and his companies.

"Washington reiterates its demand for external actors to halt the flow of funding and arms to the warring parties," the department announced.

Reaction

Elizabeth Dickinson, from a conflict think tank, described the measures as a "very significant" development, noting that "targeting the enablers is the correct approach".

She added that, the Colombian government has enacted a law approving the anti-mercenary convention, designed to limit decades of Colombian involvement in overseas wars and change its security approach.

A mercenary specialist, a scholar on the subject, advised additional measures, noting that "restrictions are needed but not enough for addressing rampant mercenarism".

"It operates in the black market and based out of the Emirates, which is relatively sanction-proof," he said. The UAE has been frequently alleged of providing arms to the militia, claims it rejects. "More contractors from Colombia are likely," the expert cautioned.