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The United States has levied restrictions on a group of several persons and entities accused of recruiting Colombian mercenaries to support and educate a Sudanese paramilitary group that Washington accuses of acts of genocide.

Network Composition

Disclosing the restrictions on this week, the Treasury stated the network was largely composed of Colombian nationals and companies.

Scores of former Colombian military personnel have been recruited to go to the conflict in Sudan to operate with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a faction implicated in terrible atrocities including ethnically targeted slaughter and mass abductions.

Discovery of Participation

The involvement of Colombian fighters first came to light in 2024, after an investigation which disclosed that more than 300 retired troops had been hired to participate in the war – an discovery that prompted an unprecedented apology from Colombia’s foreign ministry.

Colombian ex-soldiers have long been considered as some of the most in-demand contractors globally due to their vast combat experience resulting from years of internal conflict, familiarity with Nato equipment, and elite military instruction.

Role in the Conflict

In the Sudanese theater, the mercenaries have been accused of teaching minors, provided drone warfare training, and fought directly on the frontlines. One source was quoted as saying that working with child soldiers was "horrific and irrational" but added that "sadly, that is the nature of conflict".

Named Entities

Among those sanctioned was a retired Colombian officer, a dual Colombian-Italian national and ex-soldier based in the Dubai. The Treasury accused him a central role in hiring and sending former Colombian soldiers to Sudan. His wife, Claudia Oliveros, was also sanctioned.

Also on the penalty list was Duque Botero, a dual national who the Treasury stated oversaw a company implicated in managing finances and payments for the recruitment operation. "Over the past two years, companies in the United States associated with Duque engaged in several money transfers, totalling millions of US dollars," the government release stated.

Individual Mónica Muñoz Ucros was the fourth individual to be sanctioned, with the company she managed accused of money transfers associated with Duque and his companies.

"Washington reiterates its demand for external actors to stop giving funding and arms to the belligerents," the Treasury stated.

Reaction

Elizabeth Dickinson, with the International Crisis Group, labeled the sanctions as a "highly important" step, noting that "identifying the recruiters is the proper strategy".

Furthermore, Colombia ratified a statute ratifying the International Convention Against the Recruitment and Use of Mercenaries, designed to limit its citizens' long history in international fights and reshape domestic defense strategy.

A mercenary specialist, a authority on private military contractors, urged more caution, stating that "restrictions are needed but not enough for combating rampant mercenarism".

"It operates in the black market and based out of the UAE, which is largely insulated from sanctions," he said. The Emirati government has been repeatedly implicated of providing arms to the militia, allegations it disputes. "Expect more Colombian mercenaries," he advised.