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The United States has imposed sanctions on a network of several persons and entities alleged of recruiting former Colombian soldiers to fight for and train a Sudanese paramilitary group that Washington accuses of acts of genocide.

Network Composition

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

Hundreds of former Colombian military personnel have been recruited to go to Sudan to operate with the Sudanese RSF militia, a force linked to severe violations including massacres based on ethnicity and widespread kidnappings.

Revelation of Role

The involvement of Colombian fighters initially emerged in 2024, following an inquiry which found that over three hundred retired troops had been hired to fight – an revelation that led to an unusual statement of regret from Colombia’s foreign ministry.

Former Colombian military have widely regarded as some of the most in-demand contractors globally due to their considerable warzone knowledge gleaned from decades of civil war, familiarity with Nato equipment, and elite military instruction.

Role in the Conflict

In Sudan, the Colombians have allegedly instructed child soldiers, instructed militiamen in drone operation, and engaged in frontline combat. An individual involved was quoted as saying that training children was "terrible and insane" but commented that "sadly, that is the nature of conflict".

Sanctioned Individuals

Among those sanctioned was a dual national, a individual with dual citizenship and former army officer based in the Dubai. The government alleged he played a key part in hiring and sending former Colombian soldiers to Sudan. His spouse, Claudia Viviana Oliveros Forero, was penalized as well.

Also on the restricted list was Mateo Andrés Duque Botero, a individual with Colombian and Spanish citizenship who officials alleged oversaw a company accused of processing money and salaries for the recruitment operation. "Recently, companies in the United States connected to Duque carried out multiple financial transactions, totalling millions of US dollars," the government release said.

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

"Washington reiterates its demand for external actors to cease providing monetary and weaponry aid to the warring parties," the department said in a statement.

Expert Analysis

A senior analyst, senior analyst at the International Crisis Group, called the actions as a "major" milestone, stating that "identifying the recruiters is the right way to go".

It was also noted that, Bogotá ratified a law approving the global treaty against mercenarism, designed to limit decades of Colombian involvement in overseas wars and reshape national security policy.

Another expert, a scholar on the subject, urged more caution, stating that "penalties are required yet incomplete for combating rampant mercenarism".

"It’s an illicit economy and based out of the UAE, which is largely insulated from sanctions," he stated. The Emirati government has been widely accused of arming the RSF, claims it rejects. "More contractors from Colombia are likely," McFate warned.