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The United States has levied restrictions on a operation of four people and four firms accused of hiring South American contractors to support and educate a militia force in Sudan the United States claims of committing genocide.

Operation Structure

Revealing the restrictions on Tuesday, the Treasury stated the network was largely composed of Colombian citizens and firms.

Scores of ex-soldiers from Colombia have reportedly travelled to Sudan to operate with the Sudanese RSF militia, a group accused of horrific war crimes encompassing ethnically targeted slaughter and mass abductions.

Revelation of Role

The participation of ex-soldiers first came to light the previous year, after an report which disclosed that more than 300 retired troops had been contracted to engage in combat – an discovery that led to an rare mea culpa from officials in Bogotá.

Colombian ex-soldiers have widely regarded as some of the most in-demand contractors globally due to their considerable warzone knowledge acquired during years of internal conflict, familiarity with Western military gear, and high-level combat training.

Reported Actions

In the conflict, the Colombians have allegedly instructed minors, taught fighters to pilot drones, and engaged in frontline combat. One source was quoted as saying that working with child soldiers was "awful and crazy" but noted that "unfortunately that’s how war is".

Targeted Persons

Among those sanctioned was a dual national, a dual Colombian-Italian national and retired Colombian military officer located in the United Arab Emirates. The Treasury accused him a central role in hiring and sending mercenaries to Sudan. His wife, Claudia Viviana Oliveros Forero, was penalized as well.

Also on the sanctions list was Duque Botero, a individual with Colombian and Spanish citizenship who authorities say ran a firm accused of handling funds and payroll for the scheme. "In 2024 and 2025, US-based firms associated with Duque conducted multiple financial transactions, worth millions," the government release stated.

Individual Mónica Muñoz was the other individual to be targeted, with the company she managed alleged to have wire transfers connected to Duque and his businesses.

"The US once more urges external actors to halt the flow of monetary and weaponry aid to the warring parties," the agency stated.

Reaction

A senior analyst, with the International Crisis Group, called the measures as a "major" development, noting that "targeting the enablers is the correct approach".

Furthermore, Colombia ratified a piece of legislation ratifying the International Convention Against the Recruitment and Use of Mercenaries, aiming to curb its citizens' long history in international fights and reshape its security approach.

Another expert, a scholar on the subject, called for greater wariness, stating that "penalties are required yet incomplete for combating rampant mercenarism".

"It’s an illicit economy and centered in the Emirates, which is difficult to penalize," he commented. The United Arab Emirates has been repeatedly implicated of supplying weapons to the paramilitary group, allegations it disputes. "More contractors from Colombia are likely," he advised.