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The United States has imposed sanctions on a network of four people and four firms accused of enlisting former Colombian soldiers to combat alongside and instruct a Sudanese paramilitary group the United States claims of acts of genocide.

Operation Structure

Announcing the sanctions on this week, the Treasury stated the scheme was mostly comprised of Colombian nationals and companies.

Scores of ex-soldiers from Colombia have reportedly travelled to the Sudanese warzone to combat beside the RSF paramilitary group, a faction linked to terrible atrocities encompassing massacres based on ethnicity and mass abductions.

Emergence of Involvement

The involvement of Colombian fighters was first uncovered in 2024, following an report which revealed that over three hundred former soldiers had been hired to engage in combat – an revelation that resulted in an unusual statement of regret from Colombia’s foreign ministry.

Former Colombian military have long been considered as among the world’s most sought-after mercenaries due to their vast combat experience resulting from a long-running domestic war, knowledge of Nato equipment, and high-level combat training.

Role in the Conflict

In the Sudanese theater, the mercenaries have allegedly instructed underage fighters, provided drone warfare training, and fought directly on the frontlines. One source previously stated that working with child soldiers was "terrible and insane" but noted that "regrettably, war operates that way".

Sanctioned Individuals

Among those targeted was a retired Colombian officer, a dual Colombian-Italian national and ex-soldier operating from the United Arab Emirates. The US authorities said he had a central role in recruiting and deploying former Colombian soldiers to Sudan. His spouse, Claudia Viviana Oliveros Forero, was similarly targeted.

Also on the sanctions list was Duque Botero, a individual with Colombian and Spanish citizenship who the Treasury stated oversaw a company implicated in handling funds and payroll for the scheme. "Recently, companies in the United States linked to Duque engaged in numerous wire transfers, amounting to millions," the government release said.

Individual Mónica Muñoz Ucros was the fourth individual to be penalized, with the company she managed said to have conducted wire transfers connected to Duque and his companies.

"The US once more urges foreign parties to halt the flow of financial and military support to the belligerents," the department said in a statement.

Analyst Commentary

An expert, with the International Crisis Group, labeled the measures as a "major" milestone, noting that "identifying the recruiters is the correct approach".

She added that, Colombia has enacted a piece of legislation ratifying the anti-mercenary convention, designed to limit years of participation by its nationals in overseas wars and change its security approach.

Sean McFate, a authority on private military contractors, called for greater wariness, stating that "sanctions are necessary but insufficient for combating the growing mercenary trade".

"It’s an illicit economy and operating from Dubai, which is relatively sanction-proof," he stated. The United Arab Emirates has been widely accused of arming the RSF, claims it rejects. "Expect more Colombian mercenaries," McFate warned.