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The Washington has enforced penalties on a operation of four individuals and four companies alleged of hiring Colombian mercenaries to support and educate a militia force in Sudan the United States claims of acts of genocide.

Operation Structure

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

Scores of ex-soldiers from Colombia have reportedly travelled to the conflict in Sudan to operate with the Sudanese RSF militia, a group linked to severe violations encompassing massacres based on ethnicity and mass abductions.

Discovery of Participation

The role of these mercenaries was first uncovered in 2024, prompted by an report which found that over three hundred former soldiers had been contracted to engage in combat – an event that led to an unprecedented apology from the Colombian government.

These South American veterans have long been considered as some of the most in-demand contractors globally due to their vast combat experience gleaned from decades of civil war, familiarity with Nato equipment, and elite military instruction.

Reported Actions

In the conflict, the contractors have been accused of teaching underage fighters, provided drone warfare training, and fought directly on the frontlines. One source remarked that training children was "horrific and irrational" but noted that "unfortunately that’s how war is".

Targeted Persons

Among those targeted was a dual national, a citizen of both Colombia and Italy and former army officer located in the UAE. The US authorities accused him a central role in recruiting and deploying former Colombian soldiers to Sudan. His spouse, Claudia Viviana Oliveros Forero, was penalized as well.

Also on the sanctions list was Mateo Duque Botero, a dual Colombian-Spanish citizen who officials alleged ran a firm linked to processing money and salaries for the network. "Recently, American entities linked to Duque engaged in numerous wire transfers, totalling millions of US dollars," the official announcement noted.

Colombian national Mónica Muñoz was the final person to be sanctioned, with the firm she operated alleged to have wire transfers connected to Duque and his businesses.

"The US once more urges external actors to halt the flow of funding and arms to the warring parties," the agency announced.

Reaction

A senior analyst, senior analyst at the International Crisis Group, described the measures as a "highly important" step, saying that "targeting the enablers is the right way to go".

It was also noted that, Bogotá ratified a law approving the global treaty against mercenarism, seeking to reduce years of participation by its nationals in international fights and transform its security approach.

A mercenary specialist, a authority on private military contractors, advised additional measures, noting that "sanctions are necessary but insufficient for combating the growing mercenary trade".

"It’s an illicit economy and based out of Dubai, which is difficult to penalize," he commented. The United Arab Emirates has been repeatedly implicated of supplying weapons to the paramilitary group, an accusation it has denied. "More contractors from Colombia are likely," McFate warned.