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The United States has enforced penalties on a group of several persons and entities alleged of recruiting South American contractors to fight for and train a Sudanese paramilitary group that Washington accuses of acts of genocide.

Group Makeup

Disclosing the restrictions on Tuesday, the American treasury stated the operation was primarily made up of individuals and businesses from Colombia.

Numerous of ex-soldiers from Colombia have reportedly travelled to Sudan to operate with the RSF paramilitary group, a force accused of severe violations including ethnically targeted slaughter and mass abductions.

Emergence of Involvement

The role of these mercenaries first came to light the previous year, following an report which revealed that over three hundred retired troops had been contracted to engage in combat – an discovery that resulted in an unprecedented apology 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 resulting from decades of civil war, training on advanced weaponry, and high-level combat training.

Activities in Sudan

In Sudan, the contractors have reportedly trained child soldiers, provided drone warfare training, and engaged in frontline combat. An individual involved remarked that training children was "horrific and irrational" but added that "sadly, that is the nature of conflict".

Sanctioned Individuals

Among those targeted was a dual national, a citizen of both Colombia and Italy and retired Colombian military officer located in the UAE. The government alleged he played a pivotal function in recruiting and deploying mercenaries to Sudan. His wife, Claudia Viviana Oliveros Forero, was penalized as well.

Also on the sanctions list was Mateo Andrés Duque Botero, a individual with Colombian and Spanish citizenship who officials alleged oversaw a company implicated in handling funds and payroll for the network. "In 2024 and 2025, American entities connected to Duque carried out numerous wire transfers, amounting to millions," the official announcement said.

Individual Mónica Muñoz was the fourth individual to be sanctioned, with the firm she operated said to have conducted wire transfers linked to Duque and his companies.

"The United States again calls on external actors to stop giving monetary and weaponry aid to the warring parties," the department announced.

Analyst Commentary

A senior analyst, senior analyst at the International Crisis Group, labeled the actions as a "highly important" milestone, noting that "identifying the recruiters is the right way to go".

It was also noted that, Bogotá recently passed a piece of legislation approving the International Convention Against the Recruitment and Use of Mercenaries, seeking to reduce its citizens' long history in foreign conflicts and reshape its security approach.

Sean McFate, an expert on mercenaries, urged more caution, noting that "sanctions are necessary but insufficient for combating rampant mercenarism".

"This is a shadow economy and operating from the Emirates, which is largely insulated from sanctions," he commented. The Emirati government has been frequently alleged of providing arms to the militia, allegations it disputes. "This trend will probably continue," he advised.