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The Washington has levied restrictions on a network of four people and four firms charged of recruiting former Colombian soldiers to fight for and train a militia force in Sudan that Washington accuses of committing genocide.

Operation Structure

Disclosing the measures on this week, the Treasury stated the network was largely composed of individuals and businesses from Colombia.

Scores of former Colombian military personnel have reportedly travelled to the conflict in Sudan to operate with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a group accused of terrible atrocities encompassing targeted ethnic killings and large-scale abductions.

Discovery of Participation

The role of these mercenaries first came to light last year, after an report which disclosed that hundreds of retired troops had been hired to engage in combat – an event that resulted in an unusual statement of regret from the Colombian government.

Colombian ex-soldiers have historically been seen as highly prized fighters in conflict zones due to their extensive battlefield experience resulting from decades of civil war, knowledge of Western military gear, and superior tactical education.

Activities in Sudan

In Sudan, the Colombians have reportedly trained child soldiers, taught fighters to pilot drones, and fought directly on the frontlines. An individual involved previously stated that training children was "horrific and irrational" but commented that "sadly, that is the nature of conflict".

Named Entities

Among those targeted was a retired Colombian officer, a individual with dual citizenship and retired Colombian military officer operating from the UAE. The US authorities said he had a key part in hiring and sending former Colombian soldiers to Sudan. His spouse, Claudia Oliveros, was also sanctioned.

Also on the penalty list was Mateo Andrés Duque Botero, a individual with Colombian and Spanish citizenship who the Treasury stated oversaw a company implicated in handling funds and payroll for the scheme. "In 2024 and 2025, American entities linked to Duque conducted numerous wire transfers, totalling millions of US dollars," the government release noted.

Colombian national Mónica Muñoz was the final person to be targeted, with the company she managed said to have conducted wire transfers associated with Duque and his companies.

"The United States again calls on external actors to halt the flow of funding and arms to the combatants," the agency said in a statement.

Expert Analysis

A senior analyst, senior analyst at the International Crisis Group, called the sanctions as a "highly important" development, stating that "calling out those who are doing the contracting is the proper strategy".

Furthermore, the Colombian government recently passed a law ratifying the International Convention Against the Recruitment and Use of Mercenaries, aiming to curb its citizens' long history in foreign conflicts and change its security approach.

A mercenary specialist, a scholar on the subject, called for greater wariness, saying that "penalties are required yet incomplete for combating the growing mercenary trade".

"This is a shadow economy and based out of Dubai, which is difficult to penalize," he commented. The Emirati government has been frequently alleged of arming the RSF, an accusation it has denied. "More contractors from Colombia are likely," McFate warned.