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The Washington has imposed sanctions on a operation of several persons and entities accused of hiring former Colombian soldiers to combat alongside and instruct a Sudanese paramilitary group that Washington accuses of genocidal acts.

Group Makeup

Announcing the restrictions on Tuesday, the Treasury stated the scheme was mostly comprised of Colombian nationals and companies.

Numerous of retired Colombian troops have been recruited to go to Sudan to operate with the Sudanese RSF militia, a faction linked to severe violations such as massacres based on ethnicity and mass abductions.

Discovery of Participation

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 fight – an revelation that led to an rare mea culpa from the Colombian government.

Colombian ex-soldiers have widely regarded as among the world’s most sought-after mercenaries due to their vast combat experience resulting from decades of civil war, training on Western military gear, and superior tactical education.

Activities in Sudan

In the conflict, the Colombians have been accused of teaching child soldiers, taught fighters to pilot drones, and engaged in frontline combat. One source remarked that training children was "terrible and insane" but added that "unfortunately that’s how war is".

Named Entities

Among those penalized was a retired Colombian officer, a dual Colombian-Italian national and ex-soldier located in the United Arab Emirates. The US authorities said he had a central role in enlisting and transporting former Colombian soldiers 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 the Treasury stated managed a business linked to handling funds and payroll for the scheme. "Over the past two years, US-based firms linked to Duque conducted multiple financial transactions, totalling millions of US dollars," the official announcement noted.

Colombian national Mónica Muñoz Ucros was the final person to be sanctioned, with the firm she operated alleged to have wire transfers associated with Duque and his operations.

"Washington reiterates its demand for external actors to stop giving financial and military support to the belligerents," the agency announced.

Expert Analysis

Elizabeth Dickinson, from a conflict think tank, described the sanctions as a "highly important" development, stating that "identifying the recruiters is the right way to go".

Furthermore, Colombia has enacted a piece of legislation endorsing the anti-mercenary convention, aiming to curb its citizens' long history in international fights and reshape domestic defense strategy.

A mercenary specialist, an expert on mercenaries, called for greater wariness, noting that "restrictions are needed but not enough for dealing with widespread use of contractors".

"This is a shadow economy and based out of the Emirates, which is relatively sanction-proof," he said. The UAE has been widely accused of arming the RSF, an accusation it has denied. "More contractors from Colombia are likely," the expert cautioned.