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The US government has imposed sanctions on a group of several persons and entities charged of recruiting Colombian mercenaries to support and educate a Sudanese paramilitary group that Washington accuses of genocidal acts.

Operation Structure

Announcing the sanctions on this week, the US Treasury Department stated the scheme was largely composed of Colombian citizens and firms.

Scores of former Colombian military personnel have reportedly travelled to the conflict in Sudan to combat beside the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a faction accused of horrific war crimes such as massacres based on ethnicity and widespread kidnappings.

Emergence of Involvement

The involvement of Colombian fighters initially emerged in 2024, after an investigation which found that more than 300 ex-military personnel had been hired to fight – an revelation that resulted in an unprecedented apology from Colombia’s foreign ministry.

Former Colombian military have long been considered as highly prized fighters in conflict zones due to their considerable warzone knowledge resulting from decades of civil war, knowledge of Western military gear, and high-level combat training.

Activities in Sudan

In the Sudanese theater, the contractors have been accused of teaching underage fighters, taught fighters to pilot drones, and fought directly on the frontlines. An individual involved was quoted as saying that training children was "horrific and irrational" but noted that "unfortunately that’s how war is".

Named Entities

Among those penalized was a retired Colombian officer, a individual with dual citizenship and retired Colombian military officer located in the UAE. The US authorities said he had a key part in hiring and sending ex-military personnel to Sudan. His wife, Claudia Oliveros, was similarly targeted.

Also on the sanctions list was Duque Botero, a dual national who authorities say managed a business implicated in processing money and salaries for the scheme. "Recently, companies in the United States linked to Duque conducted numerous wire transfers, totalling millions of US dollars," the government release noted.

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

"The United States again calls on foreign parties to cease providing financial and military support to the belligerents," the Treasury said in a statement.

Reaction

Elizabeth Dickinson, senior analyst at the International Crisis Group, labeled the actions as a "very significant" step, stating that "calling out those who are doing the contracting is the correct approach".

She added that, Colombia has enacted a piece of legislation ratifying the International Convention Against the Recruitment and Use of Mercenaries, seeking to reduce decades of Colombian involvement in overseas wars and reshape its security approach.

Sean McFate, a authority on private military contractors, called for greater wariness, stating that "restrictions are needed but not enough for dealing with the growing mercenary trade".

"It operates in the black market and based out of the Emirates, which is largely insulated from sanctions," he said. The Emirati government has been widely accused of supplying weapons to the paramilitary group, an accusation it has denied. "This trend will probably continue," McFate warned.