US Imposes Penalties on Network Accused of Channeling Colombian Mercenaries to Sudan.

The United States has imposed sanctions on a network of four people and four firms charged of hiring South American contractors to support and educate a militia force in Sudan which the US alleges of acts of genocide.

Operation Structure

Revealing the measures on this week, the US Treasury Department stated the operation was primarily made up of Colombian nationals and companies.

Numerous of ex-soldiers from Colombia have been recruited to go to the conflict in Sudan to combat beside the RSF paramilitary group, a group implicated in severe violations including ethnically targeted slaughter and mass abductions.

Discovery of Participation

The involvement of Colombian fighters was first uncovered in 2024, following an inquiry which found that hundreds of retired troops had been hired to engage in combat – an revelation that resulted in an rare mea culpa from the Colombian government.

Former Colombian military have long been considered as among the world’s most sought-after mercenaries due to their extensive battlefield experience acquired during years of internal conflict, training on advanced weaponry, and superior tactical education.

Reported Actions

In the conflict, the mercenaries have been accused of teaching minors, instructed militiamen in drone operation, and engaged in frontline combat. An individual involved remarked that training children was "terrible and insane" but noted that "unfortunately that’s how war is".

Targeted Persons

Among those sanctioned was a retired Colombian officer, a citizen of both Colombia and Italy and former army officer located in the Dubai. The US authorities alleged he played a central role in hiring and sending former Colombian soldiers to Sudan. His spouse, Claudia Viviana Oliveros Forero, was similarly targeted.

Also on the restricted list was Mateo Duque Botero, a dual Colombian-Spanish citizen who authorities say managed a business implicated in managing finances and payments for the network. "Recently, US-based firms linked to Duque carried out numerous wire transfers, totalling millions of US dollars," the official announcement said.

Colombian national Mónica Muñoz was the fourth individual to be sanctioned, with the entity she oversaw accused of money transfers associated with Duque and his companies.

"The US once more urges foreign parties to halt the flow of financial and military support to the warring parties," the agency said in a statement.

Analyst Commentary

Elizabeth Dickinson, from a conflict think tank, described the measures as a "major" development, noting that "targeting the enablers is the proper strategy".

Furthermore, Colombia ratified a statute approving the global treaty against mercenarism, seeking to reduce its citizens' long history in overseas wars and transform domestic defense strategy.

A mercenary specialist, an expert on mercenaries, urged more caution, saying that "penalties are required yet incomplete for addressing widespread use of contractors".

"It’s an illicit economy and based out of the Emirates, which is difficult to penalize," he stated. The Emirati government has been widely accused of arming the RSF, allegations it disputes. "Expect more Colombian mercenaries," he advised.