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The US government has imposed sanctions on a group of four people and four firms accused of recruiting South American contractors to combat alongside and instruct a armed faction in Sudan which the US alleges of genocidal acts.

Operation Structure

Disclosing the restrictions on this week, the US Treasury Department stated the scheme was largely composed of Colombian citizens and firms.

Numerous of retired Colombian troops have allegedly journeyed to Sudan to fight alongside the Sudanese RSF militia, a faction implicated in horrific war crimes including massacres based on ethnicity and mass abductions.

Discovery of Participation

The involvement of Colombian fighters initially emerged in 2024, following an inquiry which revealed that hundreds of retired troops had been contracted to engage in combat – an revelation that prompted an unprecedented apology from Colombia’s foreign ministry.

These South American veterans have historically been seen as highly prized fighters in conflict zones due to their extensive battlefield experience acquired during decades of civil war, knowledge of Nato equipment, and elite military instruction.

Activities in Sudan

In the Sudanese theater, the mercenaries have allegedly instructed child soldiers, instructed militiamen in drone operation, and engaged in frontline combat. A mercenary remarked that training children was "horrific and irrational" but commented that "sadly, that is the nature of conflict".

Named Entities

Among those penalized was a retired Colombian officer, a dual Colombian-Italian national and former army officer operating from the Dubai. The government accused him a key part in recruiting and deploying former Colombian soldiers to Sudan. His wife, Claudia Viviana Oliveros Forero, was also sanctioned.

Also on the sanctions list was Mateo Andrés Duque Botero, a dual national who the Treasury stated oversaw a company linked to processing money and salaries for the network. "Over the past two years, US-based firms associated with Duque conducted numerous wire transfers, totalling millions of US dollars," the official announcement noted.

Individual Mónica Muñoz Ucros was the final person to be penalized, with the entity she oversaw said to have conducted money transfers associated with Duque and his businesses.

"Washington reiterates its demand for external actors to stop giving monetary and weaponry aid to the combatants," the department stated.

Reaction

Elizabeth Dickinson, from a conflict think tank, described the measures as a "very significant" development, stating that "identifying the recruiters is the correct approach".

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

A mercenary specialist, a scholar on the subject, urged more caution, saying that "restrictions are needed but not enough for addressing widespread use of contractors".

"It’s an illicit economy and centered in the Emirates, which is difficult to penalize," he said. The Emirati government has been frequently alleged of providing arms to the militia, an accusation it has denied. "Expect more Colombian mercenaries," McFate warned.