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The Washington has levied restrictions on a group of four people and four firms alleged of recruiting former Colombian soldiers to support and educate a Sudanese paramilitary group that Washington accuses of committing genocide.

Operation Structure

Announcing the restrictions on Tuesday, the US Treasury Department stated the scheme was largely composed of Colombian citizens and firms.

Hundreds of retired Colombian troops have allegedly journeyed to the Sudanese warzone to operate with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a faction accused of severe violations such as targeted ethnic killings and large-scale abductions.

Emergence of Involvement

The role of these mercenaries initially emerged in 2024, prompted by an report which disclosed that more than 300 ex-military personnel had been recruited to engage in combat – an discovery that resulted in an unusual statement of regret from officials in Bogotá.

Colombian ex-soldiers have historically been seen as some of the most in-demand contractors globally due to their extensive battlefield experience acquired during decades of civil war, familiarity with Western military gear, and elite military instruction.

Activities in Sudan

In Sudan, the mercenaries have allegedly instructed underage fighters, taught fighters to pilot drones, and fought directly on the frontlines. An individual involved was quoted as saying that working with child soldiers was "terrible and insane" but added that "sadly, that is the nature of conflict".

Named Entities

Among those penalized was a dual national, a individual with dual citizenship and former army officer operating from the United Arab Emirates. The Treasury alleged he played a key part in recruiting and deploying ex-military personnel to Sudan. His wife, Claudia Viviana Oliveros Forero, was also sanctioned.

Also on the restricted list was Mateo Andrés Duque Botero, a dual national who the Treasury stated ran a firm implicated in managing finances and payments for the scheme. "Over the past two years, US-based firms associated with Duque engaged in several money transfers, amounting to millions," the official announcement said.

Colombian national Mónica Muñoz Ucros was the other individual to be targeted, with the company she managed said to have conducted money transfers linked to Duque and his businesses.

"Washington reiterates its demand for external actors to halt the flow of funding and arms to the warring parties," the department said in a statement.

Reaction

Elizabeth Dickinson, from a conflict think tank, labeled the actions as a "very significant" development, stating that "identifying the recruiters is the right way to go".

Furthermore, Bogotá ratified a statute ratifying the International Convention Against the Recruitment and Use of Mercenaries, designed to limit years of participation by its nationals in foreign conflicts and change its security approach.

Sean McFate, an expert on mercenaries, advised additional measures, saying that "sanctions are necessary but insufficient for dealing with widespread use of contractors".

"It operates in the black market and centered in the UAE, which is relatively sanction-proof," he commented. The Emirati government has been frequently alleged of supplying weapons to the paramilitary group, allegations it disputes. "Expect more Colombian mercenaries," McFate warned.