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The Washington has levied restrictions on a network of four individuals and four companies charged of enlisting Colombian mercenaries to fight for and train a militia force in Sudan that Washington accuses of committing genocide.

Group Makeup

Revealing the sanctions on this week, the American treasury stated the scheme was largely composed of Colombian nationals and companies.

Hundreds of former Colombian military personnel have been recruited to go to the conflict in Sudan to fight alongside the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a group linked to terrible atrocities including targeted ethnic killings and large-scale abductions.

Emergence of Involvement

The role of these mercenaries initially emerged last year, prompted by an inquiry which found that hundreds of ex-military personnel had been recruited to participate in the war – an event that prompted an rare mea culpa from Colombia’s foreign ministry.

Colombian ex-soldiers have long been considered as highly prized fighters in conflict zones due to their extensive battlefield experience resulting from years of internal conflict, knowledge of Western military gear, and superior tactical education.

Role in the Conflict

In Sudan, the Colombians have been accused of teaching minors, taught fighters to pilot drones, and participated in direct battles. A mercenary remarked that working with child soldiers was "horrific and irrational" but noted that "regrettably, war operates that way".

Named Entities

Among those penalized was a dual national, a citizen of both Colombia and Italy and ex-soldier operating from the UAE. The government said he had a central role in hiring and sending mercenaries to Sudan. His wife, Claudia Viviana Oliveros Forero, was also sanctioned.

Also on the penalty list was Mateo Andrés Duque Botero, a individual with Colombian and Spanish citizenship who the Treasury stated ran a firm linked to handling funds and payroll for the network. "In 2024 and 2025, US-based firms connected to Duque carried out multiple financial transactions, worth millions," the government release noted.

Citizen of Colombia Mónica Muñoz was the other individual to be penalized, with the entity she oversaw accused of money transfers connected to Duque and his businesses.

"Washington reiterates its demand for outside forces to cease providing funding and arms to the combatants," the agency announced.

Reaction

Elizabeth Dickinson, from a conflict think tank, called the measures as a "highly important" step, noting that "identifying the recruiters is the proper strategy".

It was also noted that, Bogotá recently passed a law ratifying the anti-mercenary convention, aiming to curb years of participation by its nationals in foreign conflicts and change its security approach.

A mercenary specialist, a scholar on the subject, called for greater wariness, stating that "restrictions are needed but not enough for addressing widespread use of contractors".

"It’s an illicit economy and centered in Dubai, which is difficult to penalize," he stated. The Emirati government has been widely accused of supplying weapons to the paramilitary group, claims it rejects. "Expect more Colombian mercenaries," he advised.