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The United States has imposed sanctions on a network of four people and four firms charged of hiring former Colombian soldiers to fight for and train a militia force in Sudan which the US alleges of committing genocide.

Operation Structure

Announcing the sanctions on Tuesday, the US Treasury Department stated the scheme was mostly comprised of individuals and businesses from Colombia.

Hundreds of retired Colombian troops have reportedly travelled to the Sudanese warzone to operate with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a force linked to terrible atrocities such as targeted ethnic killings and large-scale abductions.

Emergence of Involvement

The participation of ex-soldiers initially emerged in 2024, prompted by an report which revealed that over three hundred retired troops had been hired to participate in the war – an discovery that prompted an unusual statement of regret from the Colombian government.

Colombian ex-soldiers have long been considered as some of the most in-demand contractors globally due to their vast combat experience resulting from a long-running domestic war, knowledge of Nato equipment, and elite military instruction.

Activities in Sudan

In the conflict, the Colombians have allegedly instructed minors, instructed militiamen in drone operation, and fought directly on the frontlines. One source previously stated that training children was "horrific and irrational" but added that "unfortunately that’s how war is".

Named Entities

Among those sanctioned was a dual national, a dual Colombian-Italian national and retired Colombian military officer based in the Dubai. The government said he had a central role in hiring and sending mercenaries to Sudan. His spouse, Claudia Oliveros, was penalized as well.

Also on the sanctions list was Mateo Duque Botero, a individual with Colombian and Spanish citizenship who the Treasury stated oversaw a company implicated in managing finances and payments for the recruitment operation. "In 2024 and 2025, companies in the United States associated with Duque carried out numerous wire transfers, amounting to millions," the government release said.

Citizen of Colombia Mónica Muñoz Ucros was the final person to be penalized, with the entity she oversaw accused of money transfers associated with Duque and his operations.

"Washington reiterates its demand for foreign parties to stop giving monetary and weaponry aid to the belligerents," the Treasury announced.

Reaction

An expert, senior analyst at the International Crisis Group, called the sanctions as a "major" milestone, noting that "calling out those who are doing the contracting is the correct approach".

It was also noted that, Colombia has enacted a law approving the International Convention Against the Recruitment and Use of Mercenaries, seeking to reduce decades of Colombian involvement in international fights and change domestic defense strategy.

A mercenary specialist, a authority on private military contractors, advised additional measures, noting that "penalties are required yet incomplete for addressing widespread use of contractors".

"It operates in the black market and centered in the UAE, which is largely insulated from sanctions," he said. The Emirati government has been widely accused of supplying weapons to the paramilitary group, an accusation it has denied. "More contractors from Colombia are likely," he advised.