🔗 Share this article

The Washington has enforced penalties on a group of four people and four firms accused of recruiting Colombian mercenaries to combat alongside and instruct a Sudanese paramilitary group which the US alleges of acts of genocide.

Operation Structure

Revealing the restrictions on Tuesday, the Treasury stated the operation was primarily made up of Colombian citizens and firms.

Hundreds of ex-soldiers from Colombia have allegedly journeyed to the Sudanese warzone to fight alongside the Sudanese RSF militia, a faction implicated in terrible atrocities encompassing massacres based on ethnicity and large-scale abductions.

Revelation of Role

The involvement of Colombian fighters was first uncovered last year, following an investigation which found that over three hundred retired troops had been hired to fight – an event that prompted an unprecedented apology from Colombia’s foreign ministry.

Former Colombian military have historically been seen as among the world’s most sought-after mercenaries due to their extensive battlefield experience resulting from years of internal conflict, training on Western military gear, and high-level combat training.

Reported Actions

In the Sudanese theater, the Colombians have reportedly trained child soldiers, instructed militiamen in drone operation, and engaged in frontline combat. An individual involved remarked that instructing minors was "terrible and insane" but added that "regrettably, war operates that way".

Targeted Persons

Among those targeted was a retired Colombian officer, a citizen of both Colombia and Italy and ex-soldier based in the United Arab Emirates. The government said he had a central role in enlisting and transporting mercenaries to Sudan. His spouse, Claudia Viviana Oliveros Forero, was penalized as well.

Also on the restricted list was Mateo Duque Botero, a dual national who authorities say ran a firm implicated in handling funds and payroll for the recruitment operation. "In 2024 and 2025, US-based firms linked to Duque carried out multiple financial transactions, amounting to millions," the Treasury statement noted.

Citizen of Colombia Mónica Muñoz was the fourth individual to be sanctioned, with the company she managed accused of financial transactions linked to Duque and his operations.

"The US once more urges outside forces to halt the flow of financial and military support to the combatants," the Treasury stated.

Expert Analysis

An expert, with the International Crisis Group, called the sanctions as a "major" milestone, noting that "identifying the recruiters is the proper strategy".

She added that, Bogotá recently passed a law ratifying the International Convention Against the Recruitment and Use of Mercenaries, seeking to reduce years of participation by its nationals in international fights and transform its security approach.

Another expert, an expert on mercenaries, urged more caution, saying that "restrictions are needed but not enough for combating widespread use of contractors".

"It’s an illicit economy and centered in the Emirates, which is largely insulated from sanctions," he stated. The UAE has been repeatedly implicated of providing arms to the militia, allegations it disputes. "Expect more Colombian mercenaries," the expert cautioned.