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The Washington has levied restrictions on a operation of four individuals and four companies accused of recruiting former Colombian soldiers to support and educate a armed faction in Sudan that Washington accuses of genocidal acts.

Group Makeup

Revealing the restrictions on this week, the Treasury stated the network was primarily made up of Colombian nationals and companies.

Numerous of retired Colombian troops have allegedly journeyed to Sudan to combat beside the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a force accused of severe violations encompassing massacres based on ethnicity and mass abductions.

Revelation of Role

The involvement of Colombian fighters initially emerged in 2024, following an inquiry which found that over three hundred former soldiers had been contracted to fight – an event that led to an unusual statement of regret from Colombia’s foreign ministry.

Colombian ex-soldiers have widely regarded as some of the most in-demand contractors globally due to their considerable warzone knowledge resulting from decades of civil war, familiarity with advanced weaponry, and superior tactical education.

Role in the Conflict

In the Sudanese theater, the contractors have allegedly instructed child soldiers, provided drone warfare training, and fought directly on the frontlines. An individual involved remarked that working with child soldiers was "horrific and irrational" but added that "unfortunately that’s how war is".

Targeted Persons

Among those penalized was a retired Colombian officer, a citizen of both Colombia and Italy and retired Colombian military officer located in the UAE. The Treasury alleged he played a key part in recruiting and deploying former Colombian soldiers to Sudan. His spouse, Claudia Oliveros, was penalized as well.

Also on the sanctions list was Duque Botero, a dual Colombian-Spanish citizen who officials alleged ran a firm accused of processing money and salaries for the scheme. "In 2024 and 2025, companies in the United States associated with Duque conducted several money transfers, totalling millions of US dollars," the official announcement said.

Citizen of Colombia Mónica Muñoz Ucros was the final person to be targeted, with the entity she oversaw accused of wire transfers linked to Duque and his businesses.

"The US once more urges outside forces to cease providing monetary and weaponry aid to the warring parties," the department said in a statement.

Reaction

A senior analyst, from a conflict think tank, described the actions as a "highly important" milestone, stating that "calling out those who are doing the contracting is the proper strategy".

She added that, the Colombian government recently passed a piece of legislation approving the global treaty against mercenarism, designed to limit its citizens' long history in overseas wars and reshape national security policy.

Another expert, a authority on private military contractors, urged more caution, noting that "penalties are required yet incomplete for combating widespread use of contractors".

"It operates in the black market and operating from the UAE, which is difficult to penalize," he commented. The Emirati government has been frequently alleged of supplying weapons to the paramilitary group, an accusation it has denied. "More contractors from Colombia are likely," he advised.