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The United States has imposed sanctions on a group of four people and four firms accused of enlisting former Colombian soldiers to combat alongside and instruct a militia force in Sudan that Washington accuses of genocidal acts.

Group Makeup

Announcing the sanctions on Tuesday, the US Treasury Department stated the network was largely composed of individuals and businesses from Colombia.

Scores of ex-soldiers from Colombia have allegedly journeyed to the Sudanese warzone to operate with the Sudanese RSF militia, a group implicated in horrific war crimes such as targeted ethnic killings and mass abductions.

Discovery of Participation

The role of these mercenaries was first uncovered in 2024, after an inquiry which revealed that hundreds of ex-military personnel had been hired to participate in the war – an discovery that led to an unusual statement of regret from officials in Bogotá.

These South American veterans have widely regarded as among the world’s most sought-after mercenaries due to their vast combat experience acquired during decades of civil war, familiarity with Western military gear, and elite military instruction.

Role in the Conflict

In the conflict, the mercenaries have been accused of teaching underage fighters, instructed militiamen in drone operation, and engaged in frontline combat. An individual involved previously stated that instructing minors was "terrible and insane" but added that "unfortunately that’s how war is".

Targeted Persons

Among those sanctioned was a dual national, a individual with dual citizenship and ex-soldier based in the UAE. The Treasury said he had a key part in hiring and sending mercenaries to Sudan. His spouse, Claudia Viviana Oliveros Forero, was also sanctioned.

Also on the penalty list was Mateo Duque Botero, a individual with Colombian and Spanish citizenship who the Treasury stated oversaw a company implicated in handling funds and payroll for the network. "Over the past two years, companies in the United States associated with Duque engaged in numerous wire transfers, totalling millions of US dollars," the official announcement said.

Individual Mónica Muñoz Ucros was the final person to be targeted, with the company she managed said to have conducted wire transfers associated with Duque and his businesses.

"Washington reiterates its demand for foreign parties to cease providing monetary and weaponry aid to the belligerents," the agency stated.

Expert Analysis

Elizabeth Dickinson, senior analyst at the International Crisis Group, described the measures as a "very significant" milestone, stating that "targeting the enablers is the correct approach".

It was also noted that, Bogotá ratified a law endorsing the global treaty against mercenarism, designed to limit its citizens' long history in international fights and transform national security policy.

A mercenary specialist, a scholar on the subject, called for greater wariness, saying that "sanctions are necessary but insufficient for dealing with widespread use of contractors".

"It’s an illicit economy and based out of the Emirates, which is relatively sanction-proof," he said. The Emirati government has been repeatedly implicated of providing arms to the militia, an accusation it has denied. "This trend will probably continue," he advised.