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The Washington has levied restrictions on a operation of four individuals and four companies alleged of hiring Colombian mercenaries to combat alongside and instruct a militia force in Sudan which the US alleges of genocidal acts.

Group Makeup

Disclosing the sanctions on Tuesday, the American treasury stated the operation was largely composed of individuals and businesses from Colombia.

Hundreds of former Colombian military personnel have allegedly journeyed to the Sudanese warzone to operate with the Sudanese RSF militia, a force linked to terrible atrocities encompassing targeted ethnic killings and large-scale abductions.

Revelation of Role

The participation of ex-soldiers was first uncovered in 2024, prompted by an investigation which found that over three hundred former soldiers had been contracted to engage in combat – an discovery that led to an rare mea culpa from Colombia’s foreign ministry.

These South American veterans have long been considered as among the world’s most sought-after mercenaries due to their extensive battlefield experience acquired during decades of civil war, knowledge of Western military gear, and high-level combat training.

Reported Actions

In the conflict, the mercenaries have allegedly instructed underage fighters, instructed militiamen in drone operation, and engaged in frontline combat. A mercenary remarked that instructing minors was "awful and crazy" but noted that "regrettably, war operates that way".

Sanctioned Individuals

Among those sanctioned was a retired Colombian officer, a individual with dual citizenship and former army officer operating from the UAE. The Treasury said he had a key part in recruiting and deploying ex-military personnel 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 oversaw a company implicated in managing finances and payments for the scheme. "In 2024 and 2025, American entities linked to Duque conducted multiple financial transactions, totalling millions of US dollars," the Treasury statement said.

Individual Mónica Muñoz was the fourth individual to be penalized, with the entity she oversaw accused of money transfers linked to Duque and his operations.

"Washington reiterates its demand for foreign parties to cease providing monetary and weaponry aid to the warring parties," the agency announced.

Reaction

Elizabeth Dickinson, with the International Crisis Group, called the measures as a "very significant" milestone, saying that "identifying the recruiters is the proper strategy".

Furthermore, the Colombian government recently passed a piece of legislation endorsing the International Convention Against the Recruitment and Use of Mercenaries, seeking to reduce its citizens' long history in foreign conflicts and reshape its security approach.

Sean McFate, a authority on private military contractors, called for greater wariness, noting that "sanctions are necessary but insufficient for combating widespread use of contractors".

"This is a shadow economy and operating from the UAE, which is relatively sanction-proof," he said. The UAE has been widely accused of providing arms to the militia, an accusation it has denied. "This trend will probably continue," he advised.