The US government has enforced penalties on a network of four people and four firms alleged of enlisting South American contractors to fight for and train a armed faction in Sudan which the US alleges of genocidal acts.
Disclosing the measures on Tuesday, the Treasury stated the scheme was largely composed of Colombian citizens and firms.
Scores of former Colombian military personnel have reportedly travelled to Sudan to combat beside the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a faction implicated in terrible atrocities encompassing targeted ethnic killings and widespread kidnappings.
The involvement of Colombian fighters initially emerged last year, after an inquiry which disclosed that hundreds of former soldiers had been recruited to participate in the war – an event that prompted an unprecedented apology from officials in Bogotá.
These South American veterans have long been considered as highly prized fighters in conflict zones due to their extensive battlefield experience gleaned from decades of civil war, familiarity with Nato equipment, and superior tactical education.
In Sudan, the mercenaries have reportedly trained minors, instructed militiamen in drone operation, and participated in direct battles. A mercenary remarked that instructing minors was "terrible and insane" but noted that "sadly, that is the nature of conflict".
Among those penalized was a retired Colombian officer, a individual with dual citizenship and former army officer based in the Dubai. The Treasury alleged he played a pivotal function in hiring and sending mercenaries to Sudan. His wife, Claudia Oliveros, was penalized as well.
Also on the penalty list was Mateo Andrés Duque Botero, a individual with Colombian and Spanish citizenship who authorities say oversaw a company implicated in handling funds and payroll for the scheme. "In 2024 and 2025, US-based firms connected to Duque engaged in several money transfers, amounting to millions," the official announcement stated.
Citizen of Colombia Mónica Muñoz was the fourth individual to be penalized, with the company she managed said to have conducted wire transfers linked to Duque and his businesses.
"Washington reiterates its demand for foreign parties to halt the flow of monetary and weaponry aid to the warring parties," the Treasury said in a statement.
An expert, senior analyst at the International Crisis Group, called the measures as a "highly important" development, noting that "identifying the recruiters is the proper strategy".
Furthermore, Bogotá recently passed a piece of legislation ratifying the International Convention Against the Recruitment and Use of Mercenaries, designed to limit its citizens' long history in overseas wars and change its security approach.
A mercenary specialist, a authority on private military contractors, urged more caution, noting that "penalties are required yet incomplete for dealing with rampant mercenarism".
"It’s an illicit economy and centered in the UAE, which is relatively sanction-proof," he stated. The United Arab Emirates has been widely accused of providing arms to the militia, allegations it disputes. "Expect more Colombian mercenaries," he advised.
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