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The United States has imposed sanctions on a group of four individuals and four companies accused of enlisting former Colombian soldiers to fight for and train a Sudanese paramilitary group the United States claims of committing genocide.

Operation Structure

Announcing the sanctions on Tuesday, the Treasury stated the network was mostly comprised of Colombian citizens and firms.

Scores of retired Colombian troops have allegedly journeyed to the conflict in Sudan to operate with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a group linked to terrible atrocities including targeted ethnic killings and widespread kidnappings.

Emergence of Involvement

The participation of ex-soldiers was first uncovered the previous year, prompted by an investigation which revealed that hundreds of ex-military personnel had been hired to participate in the war – an revelation that resulted in an rare mea culpa from officials in Bogotá.

Colombian ex-soldiers have historically been seen as some of the most in-demand contractors globally due to their considerable warzone knowledge gleaned from a long-running domestic war, training on advanced weaponry, and elite military instruction.

Activities in Sudan

In the conflict, the Colombians have allegedly instructed underage fighters, provided drone warfare training, and fought directly on the frontlines. An individual involved remarked that training children was "terrible and insane" but added that "sadly, that is the nature of conflict".

Named Entities

Among those penalized was a dual national, a citizen of both Colombia and Italy and ex-soldier operating from the United Arab Emirates. The Treasury said he had a central role in hiring and sending mercenaries to Sudan. His wife, Claudia Viviana Oliveros Forero, was penalized as well.

Also on the restricted list was Mateo Andrés Duque Botero, a dual Colombian-Spanish citizen who authorities say oversaw a company linked to processing money and salaries for the recruitment operation. "In 2024 and 2025, companies in the United States connected to Duque conducted multiple financial transactions, amounting to millions," the government release noted.

Citizen of Colombia Mónica Muñoz Ucros was the other individual to be targeted, with the company she managed said to have conducted financial transactions associated with Duque and his businesses.

"The US once more urges foreign parties to stop giving financial and military support to the warring parties," the Treasury said in a statement.

Reaction

A senior analyst, with the International Crisis Group, called the actions as a "highly important" milestone, saying that "identifying the recruiters is the proper strategy".

It was also noted that, Colombia recently passed a statute ratifying the anti-mercenary convention, seeking to reduce its citizens' long history in overseas wars and reshape domestic defense strategy.

Another expert, an expert on mercenaries, called for greater wariness, noting that "restrictions are needed but not enough for dealing with widespread use of contractors".

"It operates in the black market and centered in the Emirates, which is difficult to penalize," he said. The UAE has been frequently alleged of providing arms to the militia, an accusation it has denied. "More contractors from Colombia are likely," McFate warned.