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The United States has levied restrictions on a group of four people and four firms accused of enlisting South American contractors to fight for and train a militia force in Sudan which the US alleges of committing genocide.

Operation Structure

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

Numerous of former Colombian military personnel have been recruited to go to the conflict in Sudan to combat beside the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a force linked to terrible atrocities including ethnically targeted slaughter and widespread kidnappings.

Emergence of Involvement

The role of these mercenaries was first uncovered in 2024, following an report which revealed that over three hundred retired troops had been hired to fight – an revelation that prompted an rare mea culpa from Colombia’s foreign ministry.

Former Colombian military have widely regarded as some of the most in-demand contractors globally due to their vast combat experience resulting from decades of civil war, training on advanced weaponry, and elite military instruction.

Activities in Sudan

In the Sudanese theater, the Colombians have allegedly instructed minors, provided drone warfare training, and fought directly on the frontlines. An individual involved was quoted as saying that working with child soldiers was "horrific and irrational" but noted that "unfortunately that’s how war is".

Named Entities

Among those targeted was a dual national, a dual Colombian-Italian national and former army officer operating from the United Arab Emirates. The government alleged he played a key part in enlisting and transporting mercenaries to Sudan. His wife, Claudia Viviana Oliveros Forero, was also sanctioned.

Also on the restricted list was Mateo Andrés Duque Botero, a dual Colombian-Spanish citizen who the Treasury stated ran a firm accused of processing money and salaries for the scheme. "Recently, companies in the United States linked to Duque engaged in multiple financial transactions, totalling millions of US dollars," the Treasury statement said.

Colombian national Mónica Muñoz Ucros was the fourth individual to be sanctioned, with the entity she oversaw said to have conducted wire transfers connected to Duque and his operations.

"Washington reiterates its demand for external actors to halt the flow of funding and arms to the belligerents," the department announced.

Reaction

Elizabeth Dickinson, with the International Crisis Group, labeled the actions as a "very significant" development, saying that "identifying the recruiters is the right way to go".

It was also noted that, Bogotá recently passed a statute approving the global treaty against mercenarism, designed to limit decades of Colombian involvement in international fights and transform national security policy.

Another expert, an expert on mercenaries, advised additional measures, noting that "sanctions are necessary but insufficient for addressing rampant mercenarism".

"It’s an illicit economy and centered in the Emirates, which is relatively sanction-proof," he stated. The United Arab Emirates has been frequently alleged of supplying weapons to the paramilitary group, allegations it disputes. "More contractors from Colombia are likely," he advised.