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The United States has enforced penalties on a network of several persons and entities charged of recruiting former Colombian soldiers to fight for and train a armed faction in Sudan that Washington accuses of genocidal acts.

Group Makeup

Disclosing the restrictions on Tuesday, the Treasury stated the network was largely composed of individuals and businesses from Colombia.

Numerous of ex-soldiers from Colombia have allegedly journeyed to Sudan to fight alongside the RSF paramilitary group, a group implicated in terrible atrocities including massacres based on ethnicity and widespread kidnappings.

Revelation of Role

The involvement of Colombian fighters first came to light the previous year, after an investigation which disclosed that over three hundred retired troops had been hired to participate in the war – an discovery that resulted in an unprecedented apology from officials in Bogotá.

Former Colombian military have long been considered as highly prized fighters in conflict zones due to their vast combat experience resulting from years of internal conflict, familiarity with advanced weaponry, and elite military instruction.

Role in the Conflict

In Sudan, the contractors have been accused of teaching child soldiers, provided drone warfare training, and fought directly on the frontlines. A mercenary previously stated that training children was "awful and crazy" but noted that "sadly, that is the nature of conflict".

Named Entities

Among those targeted was a dual national, a citizen of both Colombia and Italy and retired Colombian military officer located in the United Arab Emirates. The Treasury accused him a key part in recruiting and deploying mercenaries to Sudan. His spouse, Claudia Oliveros, was penalized as well.

Also on the penalty list was Duque Botero, a dual national who the Treasury stated ran a firm accused of processing money and salaries for the recruitment operation. "In 2024 and 2025, US-based firms associated with Duque carried out multiple financial transactions, worth millions," the government release stated.

Colombian national Mónica Muñoz Ucros was the other individual to be penalized, with the company she managed said to have conducted financial transactions associated with Duque and his operations.

"Washington reiterates its demand for external actors to halt the flow of monetary and weaponry aid to the warring parties," the department announced.

Reaction

Elizabeth Dickinson, with the International Crisis Group, called the actions as a "very significant" milestone, saying that "identifying the recruiters is the proper strategy".

It was also noted that, the Colombian government has enacted a piece of legislation endorsing the global treaty against mercenarism, aiming to curb years of participation by its nationals in international fights and reshape domestic defense strategy.

A mercenary specialist, a scholar on the subject, called for greater wariness, saying that "sanctions are necessary but insufficient for combating the growing mercenary trade".

"It operates in the black market and based out of Dubai, which is largely insulated from sanctions," he said. The UAE has been widely accused of supplying weapons to the paramilitary group, allegations it disputes. "Expect more Colombian mercenaries," he advised.