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The United States has imposed sanctions on a group of several persons and entities alleged of hiring former Colombian soldiers to combat alongside and instruct a armed faction in Sudan which the US alleges of acts of genocide.

Group Makeup

Disclosing the measures on this week, the Treasury stated the operation was largely composed of Colombian citizens and firms.

Numerous of retired Colombian troops have allegedly journeyed to the conflict in Sudan to fight alongside the RSF paramilitary group, a faction linked to horrific war crimes such as ethnically targeted slaughter and mass abductions.

Emergence of Involvement

The participation of ex-soldiers was first uncovered in 2024, prompted by an report which found that hundreds of retired troops had been hired to engage in combat – an event that prompted an unusual statement of regret from the Colombian government.

Colombian ex-soldiers have widely regarded as some of the most in-demand contractors globally due to their extensive battlefield experience gleaned from a long-running domestic war, familiarity with advanced weaponry, and superior tactical education.

Reported Actions

In Sudan, the contractors have reportedly trained minors, provided drone warfare training, and participated in direct battles. A mercenary remarked that training children was "horrific and irrational" but noted that "regrettably, war operates that way".

Targeted Persons

Among those penalized was a dual national, a dual Colombian-Italian national and former army officer operating from the Dubai. The Treasury accused him a pivotal function in enlisting and transporting former Colombian soldiers to Sudan. His wife, Claudia Oliveros, was similarly targeted.

Also on the penalty list was Mateo Andrés Duque Botero, a dual Colombian-Spanish citizen who officials alleged managed a business accused of managing finances and payments for the network. "Recently, US-based firms connected to Duque carried out several money transfers, totalling millions of US dollars," the Treasury statement stated.

Colombian national Mónica Muñoz Ucros was the other individual to be targeted, with the firm she operated alleged to have money transfers associated with Duque and his companies.

"The United States again calls on foreign parties to cease providing funding and arms to the combatants," the Treasury said in a statement.

Expert Analysis

A senior analyst, from a conflict think tank, called the sanctions as a "highly important" development, saying that "calling out those who are doing the contracting is the right way to go".

It was also noted that, the Colombian government ratified a statute approving the International Convention Against the Recruitment and Use of Mercenaries, aiming to curb its citizens' long history in overseas wars and transform national security policy.

Sean McFate, an expert on mercenaries, called for greater wariness, stating that "restrictions are needed but not enough for addressing the growing mercenary trade".

"It’s an illicit economy and based out of the Emirates, which is relatively sanction-proof," he said. The Emirati government has been repeatedly implicated of supplying weapons to the paramilitary group, an accusation it has denied. "More contractors from Colombia are likely," the expert cautioned.