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The US government has enforced penalties on a group of four people and four firms charged of recruiting former Colombian soldiers to fight for and train a militia force in Sudan which the US alleges of committing genocide.

Operation Structure

Revealing the sanctions on Tuesday, the American treasury stated the operation was mostly comprised of Colombian nationals and companies.

Scores of former Colombian military personnel have been recruited to go to the Sudanese warzone to fight alongside the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a group linked to terrible atrocities such as massacres based on ethnicity and large-scale abductions.

Discovery of Participation

The involvement of Colombian fighters initially emerged last year, prompted by an report which disclosed that hundreds of retired troops had been hired to participate in the war – an discovery that prompted an unprecedented apology from Colombia’s foreign ministry.

Colombian ex-soldiers have long been considered as among the world’s most sought-after mercenaries due to their considerable warzone knowledge resulting from years of internal conflict, familiarity with advanced weaponry, and high-level combat training.

Reported Actions

In the Sudanese theater, the contractors have allegedly instructed child soldiers, instructed militiamen in drone operation, and participated in direct battles. An individual involved previously stated that working with child soldiers was "terrible and insane" 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 retired Colombian military officer located in the Dubai. The Treasury alleged he played a central role in hiring and sending former Colombian soldiers to Sudan. His spouse, Claudia Viviana Oliveros Forero, was similarly targeted.

Also on the sanctions list was Duque Botero, a dual Colombian-Spanish citizen who officials alleged ran a firm implicated in processing money and salaries for the network. "In 2024 and 2025, American entities associated with Duque engaged in several money transfers, amounting to millions," the Treasury statement stated.

Individual Mónica Muñoz Ucros was the fourth individual to be penalized, with the company she managed accused of wire transfers connected to Duque and his operations.

"The United States again calls on external actors to cease providing funding and arms to the belligerents," the Treasury said in a statement.

Expert Analysis

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

She added that, Colombia ratified a law ratifying the International Convention Against the Recruitment and Use of Mercenaries, aiming to curb its citizens' long history in international fights and reshape its security approach.

Another expert, a authority on private military contractors, urged more caution, stating that "sanctions are necessary but insufficient for addressing the growing mercenary trade".

"It operates in the black market and based out of the UAE, which is largely insulated from sanctions," he said. The UAE has been widely accused of supplying weapons to the paramilitary group, an accusation it has denied. "Expect more Colombian mercenaries," McFate warned.