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The US government has enforced penalties on a group of four individuals and four companies accused of hiring South American contractors to support and educate a Sudanese paramilitary group the United States claims of committing genocide.

Operation Structure

Disclosing the measures on Tuesday, the Treasury stated the network was primarily made up of individuals and businesses from Colombia.

Numerous of retired Colombian troops have been recruited to go to the conflict in Sudan to operate with the RSF paramilitary group, a group accused of severe violations including ethnically targeted slaughter and widespread kidnappings.

Emergence of Involvement

The role of these mercenaries was first uncovered in 2024, after an report which revealed that over three hundred ex-military personnel had been hired to engage in combat – an event that led to an unprecedented apology 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 gleaned from a long-running domestic war, knowledge of Nato equipment, and elite military instruction.

Role in the Conflict

In Sudan, the mercenaries have been accused of teaching minors, instructed militiamen in drone operation, and fought directly on the frontlines. One source remarked that working with child soldiers was "terrible and insane" but added that "unfortunately that’s how war is".

Targeted Persons

Among those penalized was a retired Colombian officer, a dual Colombian-Italian national and retired Colombian military officer based in the Dubai. The Treasury alleged he played a central role in hiring and sending ex-military personnel to Sudan. His wife, Claudia Viviana Oliveros Forero, was penalized as well.

Also on the sanctions list was Duque Botero, a dual Colombian-Spanish citizen who officials alleged oversaw a company linked to handling funds and payroll for the recruitment operation. "Recently, US-based firms associated with Duque carried out multiple financial transactions, worth millions," the Treasury statement noted.

Citizen of Colombia Mónica Muñoz Ucros was the final person to be targeted, with the entity she oversaw said to have conducted money transfers linked to Duque and his companies.

"The United States again calls on foreign parties to cease providing funding and arms to the combatants," the Treasury said in a statement.

Expert Analysis

A senior analyst, with the International Crisis Group, described the measures as a "very significant" step, stating that "identifying the recruiters is the proper strategy".

Furthermore, Colombia ratified a law ratifying the anti-mercenary convention, aiming to curb decades of Colombian involvement in international fights and change domestic defense strategy.

Another expert, a authority on private military contractors, urged more caution, saying that "sanctions are necessary but insufficient for addressing widespread use of contractors".

"This is a shadow economy and based out of the UAE, which is largely insulated from sanctions," he said. The United Arab Emirates has been repeatedly implicated of arming the RSF, claims it rejects. "This trend will probably continue," McFate warned.