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The US government has enforced penalties on a operation of four people and four firms charged of hiring former Colombian soldiers to support and educate a Sudanese paramilitary group the United States claims of committing genocide.

Network Composition

Disclosing the measures on Tuesday, the American treasury stated the scheme was mostly comprised of individuals and businesses from Colombia.

Hundreds of ex-soldiers from Colombia have reportedly travelled to the Sudanese warzone to fight alongside the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a faction implicated in severe violations including massacres based on ethnicity and widespread kidnappings.

Revelation of Role

The participation of ex-soldiers first came to light last year, after an report which revealed that hundreds of former soldiers had been contracted to fight – an event that led to an rare mea culpa from the Colombian government.

These South American veterans have long been considered as some of the most in-demand contractors globally due to their vast combat experience resulting from years of internal conflict, knowledge of advanced weaponry, and elite military instruction.

Role in the Conflict

In the conflict, the contractors have reportedly trained child soldiers, provided drone warfare training, and engaged in frontline combat. One source was quoted as saying that instructing minors was "awful and crazy" but added that "unfortunately that’s how war is".

Targeted Persons

Among those penalized was a retired Colombian officer, a individual with dual citizenship and retired Colombian military officer operating from the United Arab Emirates. The government accused him a pivotal function in enlisting and transporting ex-military personnel to Sudan. His spouse, Claudia Viviana Oliveros Forero, was penalized as well.

Also on the penalty list was Mateo Duque Botero, a dual national who authorities say oversaw a company accused of managing finances and payments for the network. "In 2024 and 2025, companies in the United States associated with Duque conducted several money transfers, worth millions," the Treasury statement stated.

Individual Mónica Muñoz was the final person to be sanctioned, with the firm she operated alleged to have financial transactions linked to Duque and his companies.

"The United States again calls on outside forces to stop giving financial and military support to the warring parties," the agency announced.

Reaction

An expert, senior analyst at the International Crisis Group, labeled the measures as a "major" milestone, saying that "targeting the enablers is the correct approach".

Furthermore, Bogotá recently passed a statute ratifying the anti-mercenary convention, designed to limit its citizens' long history in foreign conflicts and change its security approach.

Another expert, a scholar on the subject, urged more caution, saying that "penalties are required yet incomplete for addressing rampant mercenarism".

"It operates in the black market and operating from Dubai, which is relatively sanction-proof," he stated. The United Arab Emirates has been repeatedly implicated of providing arms to the militia, allegations it disputes. "Expect more Colombian mercenaries," the expert cautioned.