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The Washington has enforced penalties on a group of four individuals and four companies alleged of hiring Colombian mercenaries to fight for and train a Sudanese paramilitary group that Washington accuses of acts of genocide.

Operation Structure

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

Numerous of ex-soldiers from Colombia have reportedly travelled to Sudan to fight alongside the Sudanese RSF militia, a force implicated in severe violations including targeted ethnic killings and large-scale abductions.

Revelation of Role

The role of these mercenaries initially emerged the previous year, prompted by an investigation which revealed that hundreds of former soldiers had been recruited to engage in combat – an event that resulted in an unprecedented apology from officials in Bogotá.

Former Colombian military have historically been seen as among the world’s most sought-after mercenaries due to their extensive battlefield experience gleaned from decades of civil war, familiarity with Western military gear, and high-level combat training.

Activities in Sudan

In the Sudanese theater, the mercenaries have allegedly instructed minors, provided drone warfare training, and participated in direct battles. An individual involved previously stated that training children was "terrible and insane" but noted that "sadly, that is the nature of conflict".

Targeted Persons

Among those targeted was a dual national, a citizen of both Colombia and Italy and former army officer based in the UAE. The US authorities alleged he played a pivotal function in enlisting and transporting mercenaries to Sudan. His wife, Claudia Oliveros, was also sanctioned.

Also on the restricted list was Duque Botero, a dual national who authorities say managed a business linked to processing money and salaries for the recruitment operation. "In 2024 and 2025, US-based firms connected to Duque engaged in several money transfers, totalling millions of US dollars," the Treasury statement noted.

Colombian national Mónica Muñoz Ucros was the fourth individual to be targeted, with the company she managed alleged to have money transfers connected to Duque and his businesses.

"The United States again calls on external actors to stop giving financial and military support to the belligerents," the department said in a statement.

Analyst Commentary

An expert, from a conflict think tank, described the sanctions as a "very significant" step, saying that "identifying the recruiters is the proper strategy".

Furthermore, the Colombian government recently passed a piece of legislation endorsing the global treaty against mercenarism, aiming to curb years of participation by its nationals in foreign conflicts and transform its security approach.

Sean McFate, a authority on private military contractors, advised additional measures, saying that "sanctions are necessary but insufficient for addressing rampant mercenarism".

"It’s an illicit economy and operating from the UAE, which is difficult to penalize," he stated. The United Arab Emirates has been repeatedly implicated of arming the RSF, allegations it disputes. "This trend will probably continue," the expert cautioned.