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The United States has enforced penalties on a group of four people and four firms alleged of recruiting former Colombian soldiers to support and educate a militia force in Sudan the United States claims of committing genocide.

Group Makeup

Revealing the sanctions on Tuesday, the US Treasury Department stated the operation was mostly comprised of Colombian citizens and firms.

Numerous of ex-soldiers from Colombia have been recruited to go to the Sudanese warzone to combat beside the Sudanese RSF militia, a group linked to horrific war crimes including targeted ethnic killings and large-scale abductions.

Revelation of Role

The participation of ex-soldiers first came to light in 2024, following an inquiry which found that over three hundred former soldiers had been hired to engage in combat – an discovery that prompted an unprecedented apology from Colombia’s foreign ministry.

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

Activities in Sudan

In the conflict, the Colombians have allegedly instructed child soldiers, instructed militiamen in drone operation, and engaged in frontline combat. One source was quoted as saying that working with child soldiers was "awful and crazy" but commented that "regrettably, war operates that way".

Sanctioned Individuals

Among those targeted was a retired Colombian officer, a dual Colombian-Italian national and former army officer based in the Dubai. The government accused him a pivotal function in hiring and sending mercenaries to Sudan. His spouse, Claudia Oliveros, was also sanctioned.

Also on the sanctions list was Mateo Duque Botero, a individual with Colombian and Spanish citizenship who the Treasury stated oversaw a company linked to processing money and salaries for the recruitment operation. "Recently, companies in the United States associated with Duque engaged in several money transfers, worth millions," the Treasury statement said.

Individual Mónica Muñoz Ucros was the fourth individual 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 foreign parties to cease providing financial and military support to the combatants," the Treasury stated.

Reaction

Elizabeth Dickinson, senior analyst at the International Crisis Group, described the actions as a "very significant" milestone, noting that "calling out those who are doing the contracting is the right way to go".

She added that, Bogotá ratified a statute endorsing the global treaty against mercenarism, designed to limit decades of Colombian involvement in foreign conflicts and change its security approach.

Sean McFate, a authority on private military contractors, urged more caution, stating that "sanctions are necessary but insufficient for addressing rampant mercenarism".

"It’s an illicit economy and operating from Dubai, which is difficult to penalize," he commented. The Emirati government has been widely accused of providing arms to the militia, an accusation it has denied. "Expect more Colombian mercenaries," the expert cautioned.