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The United States has enforced penalties on a operation of several persons and entities alleged of recruiting former Colombian soldiers to fight for and train a militia force in Sudan that Washington accuses of genocidal acts.

Operation Structure

Revealing the restrictions on this week, the US Treasury Department stated the scheme was mostly comprised of Colombian nationals and companies.

Scores of former Colombian military personnel have allegedly journeyed to Sudan to fight alongside the Sudanese RSF militia, a faction accused of severe violations including targeted ethnic killings and widespread kidnappings.

Emergence of Involvement

The role of these mercenaries initially emerged the previous year, prompted by an investigation which found that more than 300 ex-military personnel had been contracted to participate in the war – an event that resulted in an rare mea culpa from officials in Bogotá.

Former Colombian military have long been considered as highly prized fighters in conflict zones due to their considerable warzone knowledge gleaned from a long-running domestic war, familiarity with advanced weaponry, and elite military instruction.

Role in the Conflict

In the conflict, the mercenaries have allegedly instructed minors, taught fighters to pilot drones, and participated in direct battles. An individual involved was quoted as saying that training children was "horrific and irrational" but noted that "unfortunately that’s how war is".

Named Entities

Among those penalized was a dual national, a dual Colombian-Italian national and retired Colombian military officer located in the Dubai. The government accused him a key part in recruiting and deploying former Colombian soldiers to Sudan. His spouse, Claudia Oliveros, was also sanctioned.

Also on the sanctions list was Mateo Duque Botero, a individual with Colombian and Spanish citizenship who the Treasury stated managed a business implicated in managing finances and payments for the recruitment operation. "In 2024 and 2025, American entities associated with Duque engaged in multiple financial transactions, totalling millions of US dollars," the government release noted.

Citizen of Colombia Mónica Muñoz was the final person to be sanctioned, with the company she managed said to have conducted money transfers linked to Duque and his companies.

"The US once more urges foreign parties to cease providing funding and arms to the belligerents," the agency stated.

Expert Analysis

An expert, senior analyst at the International Crisis Group, labeled the measures as a "major" development, stating that "identifying the recruiters is the proper strategy".

It was also noted that, Colombia recently passed a law ratifying the International Convention Against the Recruitment and Use of Mercenaries, seeking to reduce decades of Colombian involvement in international fights and change its security approach.

Another expert, an expert on mercenaries, advised additional measures, saying that "penalties are required yet incomplete for addressing widespread use of contractors".

"This is a shadow economy and centered in the UAE, which is largely insulated from sanctions," he stated. The Emirati government has been repeatedly implicated of providing arms to the militia, an accusation it has denied. "Expect more Colombian mercenaries," the expert cautioned.