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The Washington has imposed sanctions on a network of four people and four firms alleged of recruiting South American contractors to fight for and train a armed faction in Sudan that Washington accuses of genocidal acts.

Group Makeup

Revealing the restrictions on Tuesday, the American treasury stated the scheme was largely composed of Colombian nationals and companies.

Scores of ex-soldiers from Colombia have been recruited to go to the Sudanese warzone to combat beside the Sudanese RSF militia, a group accused of terrible atrocities encompassing targeted ethnic killings and widespread kidnappings.

Discovery of Participation

The involvement of Colombian fighters initially emerged in 2024, prompted by an report which revealed that hundreds of retired troops had been hired to fight – an revelation that resulted in an unusual statement of regret from the Colombian government.

Former Colombian military have long been considered as among the world’s most sought-after mercenaries due to their vast combat experience resulting from a long-running domestic war, training on Nato equipment, and high-level combat training.

Role in the Conflict

In the conflict, the Colombians have allegedly instructed underage fighters, provided drone warfare training, and fought directly on the frontlines. A mercenary was quoted as saying that instructing minors was "awful and crazy" but noted that "sadly, that is the nature of conflict".

Sanctioned Individuals

Among those penalized was a retired Colombian officer, a individual with dual citizenship and former army officer based in the UAE. The US authorities accused him a pivotal function in enlisting and transporting former Colombian soldiers to Sudan. His spouse, Claudia Oliveros, was also sanctioned.

Also on the sanctions list was Mateo Duque Botero, a dual Colombian-Spanish citizen who authorities say managed a business implicated in processing money and salaries for the recruitment operation. "In 2024 and 2025, American entities connected to Duque carried out several money transfers, worth millions," the government release said.

Colombian national Mónica Muñoz Ucros was the fourth individual to be targeted, with the firm she operated said to have conducted financial transactions associated with Duque and his businesses.

"The US once more urges external actors to halt the flow of monetary and weaponry aid to the belligerents," the agency said in a statement.

Expert Analysis

A senior analyst, senior analyst at the International Crisis Group, described the measures as a "highly important" milestone, noting that "targeting the enablers is the correct approach".

It was also noted that, the Colombian government ratified a statute endorsing the anti-mercenary convention, designed to limit years of participation by its nationals in international fights and change national security policy.

Sean McFate, a scholar on the subject, called for greater wariness, saying that "sanctions are necessary but insufficient for dealing with the growing mercenary trade".

"It’s an illicit economy and based out of the Emirates, which is relatively sanction-proof," he stated. The Emirati government has been widely accused of supplying weapons to the paramilitary group, an accusation it has denied. "This trend will probably continue," McFate warned.