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The United States has levied restrictions on a operation of four people and four firms accused of enlisting South American contractors to fight for and train a armed faction in Sudan which the US alleges of committing genocide.

Network Composition

Announcing the sanctions on Tuesday, the Treasury stated the scheme was mostly comprised of Colombian nationals and companies.

Hundreds of retired Colombian troops have allegedly journeyed to the Sudanese warzone to fight alongside the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a group linked to horrific war crimes including massacres based on ethnicity and mass abductions.

Emergence of Involvement

The participation of ex-soldiers initially emerged the previous year, following an inquiry which found that more than 300 ex-military personnel had been contracted to engage in combat – an event that led to an unprecedented apology from officials in Bogotá.

These South American veterans have historically been seen as some of the most in-demand contractors globally due to their vast combat experience gleaned from decades of civil war, familiarity with advanced weaponry, and superior tactical education.

Role in the Conflict

In the conflict, the contractors have been accused of teaching minors, instructed militiamen in drone operation, and participated in direct battles. One source remarked that working with child soldiers was "horrific and irrational" but added that "sadly, that is the nature of conflict".

Named Entities

Among those sanctioned was a retired Colombian officer, a dual Colombian-Italian national and retired Colombian military officer operating from the Dubai. The government said he had a key part in recruiting and deploying mercenaries to Sudan. His wife, Claudia Viviana Oliveros Forero, was similarly targeted.

Also on the restricted list was Mateo Andrés Duque Botero, a individual with Colombian and Spanish citizenship who authorities say managed a business implicated in managing finances and payments for the recruitment operation. "In 2024 and 2025, companies in the United States associated with Duque carried out numerous wire transfers, totalling millions of US dollars," the official announcement stated.

Individual Mónica Muñoz Ucros was the final person to be sanctioned, with the entity she oversaw accused of wire transfers linked to Duque and his companies.

"Washington reiterates its demand for foreign parties to stop giving financial and military support to the combatants," the department said in a statement.

Reaction

A senior analyst, with the International Crisis Group, called the measures as a "highly important" step, saying that "targeting the enablers is the correct approach".

She added that, Colombia recently passed a piece of legislation endorsing the global treaty against mercenarism, designed to limit years of participation by its nationals in overseas wars and transform national security policy.

Another expert, an expert on mercenaries, called for greater wariness, saying that "restrictions are needed but not enough for combating the growing mercenary trade".

"This is a shadow economy and centered in the UAE, which is largely insulated from sanctions," he said. The United Arab Emirates has been repeatedly implicated of arming the RSF, allegations it disputes. "More contractors from Colombia are likely," he advised.