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The United States has levied restrictions on a group of several persons and entities alleged of hiring former Colombian soldiers to support and educate a militia force in Sudan the United States claims of genocidal acts.

Operation Structure

Disclosing the measures on Tuesday, the American treasury stated the operation was mostly comprised of individuals and businesses from Colombia.

Scores of retired Colombian troops have been recruited to go to Sudan to combat beside the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a faction linked to horrific war crimes such as ethnically targeted slaughter and large-scale abductions.

Discovery of Participation

The involvement of Colombian fighters was first uncovered last year, prompted by an inquiry which revealed that more than 300 ex-military personnel had been hired to fight – an event that prompted an unusual statement of regret from the Colombian government.

Former Colombian military have widely regarded as some of the most in-demand contractors globally due to their extensive battlefield experience resulting from years of internal conflict, training on Nato equipment, and elite military instruction.

Role in the Conflict

In Sudan, the Colombians have been accused of teaching minors, provided drone warfare training, and fought directly on the frontlines. A mercenary previously stated that training children was "horrific and irrational" but commented that "regrettably, war operates that way".

Named Entities

Among those targeted was a retired Colombian officer, a dual Colombian-Italian national and retired Colombian military officer located in the UAE. The US authorities accused him a pivotal function in hiring and sending ex-military personnel to Sudan. His wife, Claudia Viviana Oliveros Forero, was also sanctioned.

Also on the sanctions list was Mateo Duque Botero, a dual Colombian-Spanish citizen who officials alleged ran a firm implicated in handling funds and payroll for the network. "In 2024 and 2025, US-based firms linked to Duque carried out numerous wire transfers, amounting to millions," the Treasury statement stated.

Colombian national Mónica Muñoz Ucros was the other individual to be sanctioned, with the entity she oversaw said to have conducted money transfers connected to Duque and his companies.

"The United States again calls on foreign parties to halt the flow of monetary and weaponry aid to the warring parties," the Treasury stated.

Analyst Commentary

An expert, senior analyst at the International Crisis Group, labeled the sanctions as a "highly important" development, noting that "identifying the recruiters is the right way to go".

It was also noted that, Bogotá ratified a piece of legislation approving the anti-mercenary convention, seeking to reduce decades of Colombian involvement in international fights and reshape domestic defense strategy.

A mercenary specialist, an expert on mercenaries, called for greater wariness, stating that "penalties are required yet incomplete for addressing the growing mercenary trade".

"It operates in the black market and based out of Dubai, which is difficult to penalize," he commented. The UAE has been repeatedly implicated of providing arms to the militia, claims it rejects. "Expect more Colombian mercenaries," the expert cautioned.