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The Washington has levied restrictions on a group of four individuals and four companies accused of recruiting former Colombian soldiers to combat alongside and instruct a Sudanese paramilitary group which the US alleges of genocidal acts.

Network Composition

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

Scores of ex-soldiers from Colombia have been recruited to go to the conflict in Sudan to operate with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a group implicated in horrific war crimes including targeted ethnic killings and mass abductions.

Revelation of Role

The involvement of Colombian fighters initially emerged last year, after an report which revealed that hundreds of retired troops had been contracted to engage in combat – an revelation that resulted in an unprecedented apology from Colombia’s foreign ministry.

These South American veterans have historically been seen as some of the most in-demand contractors globally due to their vast combat experience gleaned from a long-running domestic war, familiarity with Nato equipment, and high-level combat training.

Reported Actions

In the conflict, the contractors have allegedly instructed underage fighters, provided drone warfare training, and engaged in frontline combat. An individual involved remarked that instructing minors was "horrific and irrational" but commented that "unfortunately that’s how war is".

Named Entities

Among those sanctioned was a dual national, a dual Colombian-Italian national and former army officer based in the Dubai. The US authorities alleged he played a central role in recruiting and deploying former Colombian soldiers to Sudan. His wife, Claudia Oliveros, was also sanctioned.

Also on the sanctions list was Duque Botero, a dual Colombian-Spanish citizen who officials alleged ran a firm linked to processing money and salaries for the recruitment operation. "In 2024 and 2025, US-based firms associated with Duque conducted numerous wire transfers, totalling millions of US dollars," the Treasury statement noted.

Citizen of Colombia Mónica Muñoz was the other individual to be penalized, with the entity she oversaw said to have conducted money transfers linked to Duque and his businesses.

"The US once more urges outside forces to stop giving financial and military support to the warring parties," the Treasury stated.

Analyst Commentary

An expert, senior analyst at the International Crisis Group, described the actions as a "highly important" development, saying that "calling out those who are doing the contracting is the correct approach".

She added that, Bogotá ratified a piece of legislation endorsing the global treaty against mercenarism, aiming to curb years of participation by its nationals in overseas wars and change national security policy.

A mercenary specialist, a scholar on the subject, advised additional measures, stating that "penalties are required yet incomplete for addressing widespread use of contractors".

"It operates in the black market and operating from the UAE, which is relatively sanction-proof," he stated. The UAE has been frequently alleged of arming the RSF, claims it rejects. "More contractors from Colombia are likely," he advised.