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The US government has enforced penalties on a operation of several persons and entities charged of enlisting South American contractors to fight for and train a militia force in Sudan the United States claims of acts of genocide.

Group Makeup

Announcing the measures on this week, the American treasury stated the network was mostly comprised of individuals and businesses from Colombia.

Scores of ex-soldiers from Colombia have allegedly journeyed to the Sudanese warzone to operate with the Sudanese RSF militia, a force linked to severe violations such as targeted ethnic killings and large-scale abductions.

Emergence of Involvement

The involvement of Colombian fighters initially emerged in 2024, following an inquiry which found that hundreds of retired troops had been hired to participate in the war – an revelation that resulted in an unusual statement of regret from Colombia’s foreign ministry.

Colombian ex-soldiers have widely regarded as highly prized fighters in conflict zones due to their extensive battlefield experience gleaned from decades of civil war, training on Western military gear, and high-level combat training.

Role in the Conflict

In the conflict, the contractors have reportedly trained minors, taught fighters to pilot drones, and participated in direct battles. A mercenary was quoted as saying that training children was "terrible and insane" but added that "unfortunately that’s how war is".

Named Entities

Among those sanctioned was a dual national, a citizen of both Colombia and Italy and former army officer based in the United Arab Emirates. The government accused him a central role in hiring and sending mercenaries to Sudan. His spouse, Claudia Oliveros, was similarly targeted.

Also on the penalty list was Duque Botero, a individual with Colombian and Spanish citizenship who the Treasury stated managed a business accused of handling funds and payroll for the scheme. "Recently, companies in the United States associated with Duque carried out several money transfers, totalling millions of US dollars," the official announcement noted.

Citizen of Colombia Mónica Muñoz was the final person to be penalized, with the firm she operated said to have conducted financial transactions linked to Duque and his operations.

"The US once more urges external actors to stop giving financial and military support to the warring parties," the Treasury announced.

Analyst Commentary

An expert, senior analyst at the International Crisis Group, described the measures as a "highly important" milestone, stating that "calling out those who are doing the contracting is the right way to go".

It was also noted that, Bogotá ratified a piece of legislation ratifying the anti-mercenary convention, aiming to curb its citizens' long history in foreign conflicts and reshape national security policy.

Another expert, a authority on private military contractors, urged more caution, saying that "sanctions are necessary but insufficient for dealing with rampant mercenarism".

"It operates in the black market and based out of the Emirates, which is relatively sanction-proof," he said. The United Arab Emirates has been frequently alleged of arming the RSF, an accusation it has denied. "More contractors from Colombia are likely," the expert cautioned.