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The United States has enforced penalties on a network of four people and four firms alleged of enlisting Colombian mercenaries to fight for and train a armed faction in Sudan which the US alleges of committing genocide.

Network Composition

Disclosing the sanctions on Tuesday, the US Treasury Department stated the scheme was primarily made up of Colombian nationals and companies.

Scores of ex-soldiers from Colombia have reportedly travelled to the conflict in Sudan to fight alongside the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a faction accused of severe violations encompassing massacres based on ethnicity and widespread kidnappings.

Emergence of Involvement

The involvement of Colombian fighters initially emerged in 2024, prompted by an investigation which revealed that more than 300 former soldiers had been hired to engage in combat – an revelation that resulted in an rare mea culpa from officials in Bogotá.

These South American veterans have widely regarded as among the world’s most sought-after mercenaries due to their considerable warzone knowledge gleaned from years of internal conflict, familiarity with Western military gear, and high-level combat training.

Activities in Sudan

In the Sudanese theater, the mercenaries have been accused of teaching minors, instructed militiamen in drone operation, and participated in direct battles. One source previously stated that working with child soldiers was "terrible and insane" but added that "regrettably, war operates that way".

Named Entities

Among those targeted was a dual national, a dual Colombian-Italian national and former army officer operating from the Dubai. The government alleged he played a central role in enlisting and transporting ex-military personnel to Sudan. His wife, Claudia Viviana Oliveros Forero, was similarly targeted.

Also on the sanctions list was Duque Botero, a dual national who authorities say oversaw a company accused of managing finances and payments for the network. "In 2024 and 2025, American entities associated with Duque carried out multiple financial transactions, amounting to millions," the official announcement said.

Citizen of Colombia Mónica Muñoz Ucros was the other individual to be targeted, with the entity she oversaw accused of money transfers connected to Duque and his operations.

"The United States again calls on external actors to halt the flow of financial and military support to the belligerents," the agency said in a statement.

Reaction

An expert, from a conflict think tank, labeled the measures as a "highly important" development, noting that "targeting the enablers is the proper strategy".

It was also noted that, Bogotá recently passed a law ratifying the International Convention Against the Recruitment and Use of Mercenaries, designed to limit years of participation by its nationals in foreign conflicts and transform domestic defense strategy.

A mercenary specialist, a authority on private military contractors, urged more caution, stating that "penalties are required yet incomplete for dealing with widespread use of contractors".

"This is a shadow economy and based out of the UAE, which is difficult to penalize," he said. The UAE has been repeatedly implicated of supplying weapons to the paramilitary group, an accusation it has denied. "More contractors from Colombia are likely," he advised.