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The US government has enforced penalties on a group of four people and four firms alleged of recruiting South American contractors to support and educate a militia force in Sudan the United States claims of committing genocide.

Network Composition

Announcing the restrictions on Tuesday, the Treasury stated the network was primarily made up of Colombian nationals and companies.

Hundreds of retired Colombian troops have allegedly journeyed to the conflict in Sudan to fight alongside the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a faction linked to horrific war crimes including massacres based on ethnicity and large-scale abductions.

Discovery of Participation

The role of these mercenaries initially emerged last year, prompted by an report which disclosed that over three hundred ex-military personnel had been recruited to fight – an revelation that prompted an rare mea culpa from officials in Bogotá.

Colombian ex-soldiers have widely regarded as among the world’s most sought-after mercenaries due to their considerable warzone knowledge acquired during years of internal conflict, familiarity with advanced weaponry, and elite military instruction.

Reported Actions

In the Sudanese theater, the Colombians have been accused of teaching minors, instructed militiamen in drone operation, and engaged in frontline combat. One source previously stated that working with child soldiers was "horrific and irrational" but added that "sadly, that is the nature of conflict".

Sanctioned Individuals

Among those targeted was a retired Colombian officer, a citizen of both Colombia and Italy and ex-soldier operating from the Dubai. The US authorities accused him a pivotal function in hiring and sending mercenaries to Sudan. His wife, Claudia Oliveros, was also sanctioned.

Also on the restricted list was Mateo Andrés Duque Botero, a individual with Colombian and Spanish citizenship who authorities say ran a firm implicated in processing money and salaries for the recruitment operation. "In 2024 and 2025, companies in the United States linked to Duque conducted multiple financial transactions, worth millions," the official announcement said.

Citizen of Colombia Mónica Muñoz was the fourth individual to be penalized, with the firm she operated alleged to have money transfers connected to Duque and his businesses.

"Washington reiterates its demand for outside forces to stop giving financial and military support to the combatants," the Treasury said in a statement.

Analyst Commentary

An expert, senior analyst at the International Crisis Group, labeled the measures as a "very significant" step, saying that "targeting the enablers is the correct approach".

Furthermore, Colombia has enacted a piece of legislation ratifying the International Convention Against the Recruitment and Use of Mercenaries, designed to limit its citizens' long history in international fights and reshape national security policy.

A mercenary specialist, a authority on private military contractors, advised additional measures, saying that "penalties are required yet incomplete for combating widespread use of contractors".

"This is a shadow economy and operating from the Emirates, which is largely insulated from sanctions," he said. The UAE has been repeatedly implicated of providing arms to the militia, claims it rejects. "More contractors from Colombia are likely," McFate warned.