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The Washington has enforced penalties on a operation of several persons and entities charged of hiring South American contractors to combat alongside and instruct a armed faction in Sudan the United States claims of committing genocide.

Group Makeup

Revealing the sanctions on Tuesday, the US Treasury Department stated the operation was primarily made up of individuals and businesses from Colombia.

Hundreds 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 targeted ethnic killings and widespread kidnappings.

Revelation of Role

The participation of ex-soldiers was first uncovered last year, prompted by an report which found that hundreds of retired troops had been hired to fight – an discovery that prompted an unusual statement of regret from officials in Bogotá.

Colombian ex-soldiers have widely regarded as highly prized fighters in conflict zones due to their vast combat experience resulting from a long-running domestic war, training on advanced weaponry, and high-level combat training.

Activities in Sudan

In the Sudanese theater, the Colombians have reportedly trained underage fighters, provided drone warfare training, and engaged in frontline combat. One source remarked that training children was "horrific and irrational" but commented that "sadly, that is the nature of conflict".

Named Entities

Among those sanctioned was a dual national, a citizen of both Colombia and Italy and ex-soldier located in the Dubai. The government accused him a pivotal function in enlisting and transporting mercenaries to Sudan. His spouse, Claudia Oliveros, was similarly targeted.

Also on the restricted list was Duque Botero, a dual national who authorities say ran a firm implicated in processing money and salaries for the network. "In 2024 and 2025, companies in the United States connected to Duque engaged in numerous wire transfers, amounting to millions," the government release noted.

Colombian national Mónica Muñoz Ucros was the fourth individual to be penalized, with the entity she oversaw said to have conducted financial transactions linked to Duque and his businesses.

"The US once more urges external actors to stop giving financial and military support to the belligerents," the department announced.

Expert Analysis

Elizabeth Dickinson, senior analyst at the International Crisis Group, labeled the sanctions as a "highly important" development, stating that "targeting the enablers is the proper strategy".

She added that, Colombia recently passed a statute endorsing the global treaty against mercenarism, designed to limit its citizens' long history in foreign conflicts and reshape its security approach.

Another expert, an expert on mercenaries, called for greater wariness, noting that "penalties are required yet incomplete for addressing widespread use of contractors".

"It operates in the black market and centered in the UAE, which is difficult to penalize," he said. The UAE has been widely accused of supplying weapons to the paramilitary group, allegations it disputes. "More contractors from Colombia are likely," the expert cautioned.