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The Washington has levied restrictions on a operation of four individuals and four companies charged of hiring South American contractors to combat alongside and instruct a armed faction in Sudan that Washington accuses of acts of genocide.

Group Makeup

Announcing the sanctions on this week, the US Treasury Department stated the operation was mostly comprised of individuals and businesses from Colombia.

Scores of former Colombian military personnel have been recruited to go to the conflict in Sudan to combat beside the Sudanese RSF militia, a force implicated in terrible atrocities including massacres based on ethnicity and large-scale abductions.

Revelation of Role

The role of these mercenaries first came to light last year, following an report which revealed that over three hundred former soldiers had been recruited to engage in combat – an discovery that prompted an unusual statement of regret from officials in Bogotá.

Colombian ex-soldiers have widely regarded as highly prized fighters in conflict zones due to their extensive battlefield experience gleaned from years of internal conflict, familiarity with Western military gear, and elite military instruction.

Reported Actions

In the Sudanese theater, the contractors have allegedly instructed child soldiers, provided drone warfare training, and engaged in frontline combat. One source remarked that working with child soldiers was "awful and crazy" but commented that "sadly, that is the nature of conflict".

Targeted Persons

Among those sanctioned was a retired Colombian officer, a dual Colombian-Italian national and ex-soldier based in the UAE. The US authorities alleged he played a pivotal function in recruiting and deploying former Colombian soldiers to Sudan. His wife, Claudia Oliveros, was penalized as well.

Also on the restricted list was Mateo Andrés Duque Botero, a dual national who authorities say oversaw a company accused of managing finances and payments for the network. "In 2024 and 2025, companies in the United States connected to Duque carried out multiple financial transactions, totalling millions of US dollars," the Treasury statement noted.

Individual Mónica Muñoz Ucros was the other individual to be penalized, with the company she managed alleged to have financial transactions associated with Duque and his companies.

"Washington reiterates its demand for outside forces to stop giving monetary and weaponry aid to the belligerents," the department said in a statement.

Reaction

Elizabeth Dickinson, senior analyst at the International Crisis Group, labeled the measures as a "highly important" development, saying that "calling out those who are doing the contracting is the proper strategy".

She added that, Bogotá recently passed a law approving the International Convention Against the Recruitment and Use of Mercenaries, aiming to curb decades of Colombian involvement in overseas wars and reshape domestic defense strategy.

Another expert, an expert on mercenaries, advised additional measures, saying that "restrictions are needed but not enough for addressing the growing mercenary trade".

"This is a shadow economy and operating from the Emirates, which is largely insulated from sanctions," he stated. The United Arab Emirates has been frequently alleged of providing arms to the militia, an accusation it has denied. "Expect more Colombian mercenaries," the expert cautioned.