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The United States has levied restrictions on a operation of four individuals and four companies accused of recruiting South American contractors to combat alongside and instruct a armed faction in Sudan the United States claims of acts of genocide.

Operation Structure

Announcing the measures on Tuesday, the US Treasury Department stated the network was mostly comprised of Colombian nationals and companies.

Numerous of ex-soldiers from Colombia have allegedly journeyed to the conflict in Sudan to combat beside the RSF paramilitary group, a force implicated in severe violations such as ethnically targeted slaughter and mass abductions.

Discovery of Participation

The participation of ex-soldiers first came to light in 2024, following an inquiry which found that hundreds of former soldiers had been recruited to engage in combat – an discovery that led to an unprecedented apology from officials in Bogotá.

Colombian ex-soldiers have widely regarded as some of the most in-demand contractors globally due to their vast combat experience gleaned from decades of civil war, training on advanced weaponry, and superior tactical education.

Activities in Sudan

In the conflict, the mercenaries have allegedly instructed underage fighters, provided drone warfare training, and engaged in frontline combat. An individual involved was quoted as saying that instructing minors was "terrible and insane" but noted that "sadly, that is the nature of conflict".

Targeted Persons

Among those sanctioned was a retired Colombian officer, a individual with dual citizenship and retired Colombian military officer operating from the Dubai. The US authorities said he had a key part in hiring and sending former Colombian soldiers to Sudan. His spouse, Claudia Viviana Oliveros Forero, was also sanctioned.

Also on the restricted list was Mateo Andrés Duque Botero, a dual Colombian-Spanish citizen who officials alleged managed a business implicated in processing money and salaries for the network. "In 2024 and 2025, US-based firms associated with Duque carried out numerous wire transfers, totalling millions of US dollars," the official announcement noted.

Colombian national Mónica Muñoz was the final person to be targeted, with the firm she operated accused of money transfers connected to Duque and his operations.

"The US once more urges external actors to cease providing monetary and weaponry aid to the combatants," the department announced.

Expert Analysis

A senior analyst, senior analyst at the International Crisis Group, called the sanctions as a "very significant" step, stating that "calling out those who are doing the contracting is the right way to go".

It was also noted that, the Colombian government ratified a statute approving the anti-mercenary convention, aiming to curb its citizens' long history in international fights and reshape its security approach.

A mercenary specialist, a authority on private military contractors, urged more caution, stating that "sanctions are necessary but insufficient for dealing with the growing mercenary trade".

"It’s an illicit economy and based out of the Emirates, which is largely insulated from sanctions," he said. The UAE has been repeatedly implicated of supplying weapons to the paramilitary group, allegations it disputes. "More contractors from Colombia are likely," the expert cautioned.