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The United States has imposed sanctions on a operation of four people and four firms alleged of enlisting South American contractors to combat alongside and instruct a Sudanese paramilitary group that Washington accuses of acts of genocide.

Operation Structure

Disclosing the restrictions on Tuesday, the US Treasury Department stated the operation was mostly comprised of individuals and businesses from Colombia.

Numerous of former Colombian military personnel have allegedly journeyed to the Sudanese warzone to fight alongside the RSF paramilitary group, a force linked to terrible atrocities including massacres based on ethnicity and large-scale abductions.

Emergence of Involvement

The role of these mercenaries first came to light last year, prompted by an report which revealed that more than 300 former soldiers had been hired to fight – an discovery that led to an rare mea culpa from the Colombian government.

Former Colombian military have historically been seen as highly prized fighters in conflict zones due to their considerable warzone knowledge acquired during a long-running domestic war, familiarity with Western military gear, and high-level combat training.

Reported Actions

In Sudan, the mercenaries have reportedly trained underage fighters, instructed militiamen in drone operation, and fought directly on the frontlines. A mercenary was quoted as saying that instructing minors was "awful and crazy" but noted that "unfortunately that’s how war is".

Sanctioned Individuals

Among those sanctioned was a retired Colombian officer, a individual with dual citizenship and retired Colombian military officer operating from the United Arab Emirates. The government said he had a pivotal function in recruiting and deploying mercenaries to Sudan. His wife, Claudia Viviana Oliveros Forero, was penalized as well.

Also on the restricted list was Duque Botero, a individual with Colombian and Spanish citizenship who officials alleged oversaw a company implicated in handling funds and payroll for the network. "In 2024 and 2025, companies in the United States connected to Duque engaged in multiple financial transactions, amounting to millions," the government release noted.

Individual Mónica Muñoz Ucros was the other individual to be targeted, with the company she managed said to have conducted wire transfers linked to Duque and his companies.

"The US once more urges outside forces to halt the flow of monetary and weaponry aid to the belligerents," the department stated.

Reaction

Elizabeth Dickinson, with the International Crisis Group, described the measures as a "very significant" development, stating that "calling out those who are doing the contracting is the correct approach".

Furthermore, the Colombian government ratified a statute ratifying the anti-mercenary convention, seeking to reduce decades of Colombian involvement in foreign conflicts and reshape national security policy.

A mercenary specialist, a authority on private military contractors, called for greater wariness, stating that "sanctions are necessary but insufficient for combating widespread use of contractors".

"It’s an illicit economy and operating from Dubai, which is largely insulated from sanctions," he said. The United Arab Emirates has been widely accused of providing arms to the militia, an accusation it has denied. "More contractors from Colombia are likely," the expert cautioned.