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The Washington has enforced penalties on a network of four people and four firms charged of enlisting Colombian mercenaries to support and educate a armed faction in Sudan which the US alleges of genocidal acts.

Operation Structure

Disclosing the measures on Tuesday, the US Treasury Department stated the scheme was mostly comprised of Colombian nationals and companies.

Numerous of retired Colombian troops have reportedly travelled to the conflict in Sudan to fight alongside the RSF paramilitary group, a group accused of severe violations encompassing massacres based on ethnicity and large-scale abductions.

Revelation of Role

The participation of ex-soldiers initially emerged in 2024, after an investigation which found that over three hundred ex-military personnel had been hired to engage in combat – an discovery that prompted an unprecedented apology from Colombia’s foreign ministry.

Colombian ex-soldiers have long been considered as highly prized fighters in conflict zones due to their considerable warzone knowledge resulting from a long-running domestic war, knowledge of advanced weaponry, and high-level combat training.

Activities in Sudan

In the Sudanese theater, the contractors have been accused of teaching minors, provided drone warfare training, and fought directly on the frontlines. A mercenary remarked that instructing minors was "terrible and insane" but commented that "sadly, that is the nature of conflict".

Named Entities

Among those targeted was a dual national, a citizen of both Colombia and Italy and retired Colombian military officer based in the UAE. The US authorities accused him a central role in hiring and sending former Colombian soldiers to Sudan. His wife, Claudia Viviana Oliveros Forero, was penalized as well.

Also on the penalty list was Duque Botero, a dual Colombian-Spanish citizen who the Treasury stated ran a firm accused of managing finances and payments for the scheme. "Recently, American entities linked to Duque carried out several money transfers, worth millions," the official announcement noted.

Colombian national Mónica Muñoz Ucros was the fourth individual to be penalized, with the company she managed accused of wire transfers associated with Duque and his businesses.

"The US once more urges external actors to cease providing monetary and weaponry aid to the combatants," the department announced.

Analyst Commentary

An expert, senior analyst at the International Crisis Group, called the sanctions as a "very significant" step, stating that "targeting the enablers is the right way to go".

She added that, Bogotá recently passed a law approving the International Convention Against the Recruitment and Use of Mercenaries, seeking to reduce years of participation by its nationals in international fights and transform national security policy.

Another expert, an expert on mercenaries, advised additional measures, stating that "penalties are required yet incomplete for combating widespread use of contractors".

"It’s an illicit economy and based out of the Emirates, which is largely insulated from sanctions," he commented. The United Arab Emirates has been widely accused of arming the RSF, claims it rejects. "This trend will probably continue," McFate warned.