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The Washington has enforced penalties on a network of four individuals and four companies accused of hiring South American contractors to support and educate a militia force in Sudan that Washington accuses of acts of genocide.

Network Composition

Revealing the measures on Tuesday, the Treasury stated the operation was primarily made up of individuals and businesses from Colombia.

Scores of ex-soldiers from Colombia have been recruited to go to Sudan to combat beside the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a faction linked to horrific war crimes including ethnically targeted slaughter and widespread kidnappings.

Emergence of Involvement

The involvement of Colombian fighters first came to light in 2024, after an report which disclosed that hundreds of retired troops had been hired to participate in the war – an revelation that prompted an unusual statement of regret from Colombia’s foreign ministry.

Colombian ex-soldiers have long been considered as some of the most in-demand contractors globally due to their considerable warzone knowledge resulting from decades of civil war, training on Western military gear, and high-level combat training.

Role in the Conflict

In Sudan, the Colombians have been accused of teaching underage fighters, provided drone warfare training, and engaged in frontline combat. One source was quoted as saying that working with child soldiers was "awful and crazy" but commented that "sadly, that is the nature of conflict".

Sanctioned Individuals

Among those sanctioned was a retired Colombian officer, a citizen of both Colombia and Italy and former army officer based in the Dubai. The US authorities said he had a key part in hiring and sending mercenaries to Sudan. His wife, Claudia Viviana Oliveros Forero, was penalized as well.

Also on the restricted list was Mateo Andrés Duque Botero, a dual Colombian-Spanish citizen who officials alleged oversaw a company accused of handling funds and payroll for the recruitment operation. "In 2024 and 2025, companies in the United States associated with Duque carried out numerous wire transfers, amounting to millions," the government release noted.

Citizen of Colombia Mónica Muñoz was the other individual to be targeted, with the firm she operated accused of financial transactions associated with Duque and his operations.

"Washington reiterates its demand for outside forces to cease providing financial and military support to the warring parties," the agency said in a statement.

Expert Analysis

Elizabeth Dickinson, from a conflict think tank, described the measures as a "very significant" development, noting that "targeting the enablers is the correct approach".

Furthermore, the Colombian government ratified a law ratifying the anti-mercenary convention, aiming to curb decades of Colombian involvement in international fights and transform its security approach.

Another expert, an expert on mercenaries, called for greater wariness, saying that "penalties are required yet incomplete for combating the growing mercenary trade".

"It operates in the black market and based out of Dubai, which is relatively sanction-proof," he said. The UAE has been widely accused of arming the RSF, claims it rejects. "More contractors from Colombia are likely," McFate warned.