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The Washington has enforced penalties on a operation of several persons and entities charged of recruiting South American contractors to fight for and train a Sudanese paramilitary group the United States claims of genocidal acts.

Group Makeup

Announcing the restrictions on Tuesday, the American treasury stated the scheme was mostly comprised of Colombian citizens and firms.

Scores of ex-soldiers from Colombia have been recruited to go to Sudan to operate with the RSF paramilitary group, a faction linked to horrific war crimes including ethnically targeted slaughter and widespread kidnappings.

Discovery of Participation

The role of these mercenaries initially emerged in 2024, after an inquiry which revealed that more than 300 former soldiers had been recruited to engage in combat – an event that led to an unprecedented apology from Colombia’s foreign ministry.

Colombian ex-soldiers have historically been seen as some of the most in-demand contractors globally due to their considerable warzone knowledge acquired during a long-running domestic war, training on advanced weaponry, and superior tactical education.

Reported Actions

In the conflict, the Colombians have allegedly instructed underage fighters, taught fighters to pilot drones, and engaged in frontline combat. An individual involved previously stated that training children was "horrific and irrational" but added that "sadly, that is the nature of conflict".

Named Entities

Among those penalized was a dual national, a citizen of both Colombia and Italy and ex-soldier operating from the UAE. The Treasury accused him a key part in hiring and sending ex-military personnel to Sudan. His wife, Claudia Oliveros, was also sanctioned.

Also on the penalty list was Mateo Duque Botero, a individual with Colombian and Spanish citizenship who officials alleged managed a business linked to processing money and salaries for the network. "In 2024 and 2025, companies in the United States associated with Duque engaged in numerous wire transfers, totalling millions of US dollars," the government release stated.

Citizen of Colombia Mónica Muñoz was the final person to be sanctioned, with the entity she oversaw said to have conducted wire transfers linked to Duque and his companies.

"The US once more urges foreign parties to stop giving funding and arms to the combatants," the Treasury announced.

Reaction

A senior analyst, with the International Crisis Group, labeled the actions as a "highly important" milestone, noting that "calling out those who are doing the contracting is the correct approach".

Furthermore, the Colombian government recently passed a statute ratifying the anti-mercenary convention, seeking to reduce its citizens' long history in overseas wars and transform its security approach.

Another expert, a scholar on the subject, advised additional measures, noting that "penalties are required yet incomplete for addressing rampant mercenarism".

"It operates in the black market and based out of the Emirates, which is largely insulated from sanctions," he stated. The UAE has been widely accused of arming the RSF, claims it rejects. "Expect more Colombian mercenaries," he advised.