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The United States has enforced penalties on a operation of four people and four firms charged of hiring Colombian mercenaries to combat alongside and instruct a militia force in Sudan which the US alleges of genocidal acts.

Group Makeup

Disclosing the sanctions on this week, the American treasury stated the operation was largely composed of Colombian nationals and companies.

Hundreds of ex-soldiers from Colombia have reportedly travelled to the Sudanese warzone to operate with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a faction accused of horrific war crimes encompassing ethnically targeted slaughter and large-scale abductions.

Discovery of Participation

The involvement of Colombian fighters was first uncovered the previous year, after an investigation which disclosed that hundreds of retired troops had been recruited to participate in the war – an event that prompted an unprecedented apology from Colombia’s foreign ministry.

These South American veterans have long been considered as some of the most in-demand contractors globally due to their vast combat experience resulting from years of internal conflict, familiarity with Western military gear, and high-level combat training.

Role in the Conflict

In the conflict, the mercenaries have reportedly trained underage fighters, provided drone warfare training, and fought directly on the frontlines. One source previously stated that instructing minors was "terrible and insane" but noted that "regrettably, war operates that way".

Targeted Persons

Among those targeted was a retired Colombian officer, a individual with dual citizenship and retired Colombian military officer based in the UAE. The government said he had a pivotal function in hiring and sending mercenaries to Sudan. His spouse, Claudia Viviana Oliveros Forero, was penalized as well.

Also on the sanctions list was Mateo Duque Botero, a individual with Colombian and Spanish citizenship who officials alleged managed a business accused of handling funds and payroll for the scheme. "In 2024 and 2025, US-based firms associated with Duque engaged in several money transfers, amounting to millions," the government release said.

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

"Washington reiterates its demand for outside forces to halt the flow of financial and military support to the belligerents," the Treasury announced.

Expert Analysis

An expert, with the International Crisis Group, described the measures as a "very significant" development, saying that "targeting the enablers is the correct approach".

She added that, Colombia ratified a statute endorsing the International Convention Against the Recruitment and Use of Mercenaries, aiming to curb years of participation by its nationals in foreign conflicts and change national security policy.

Sean McFate, a authority on private military contractors, called for greater wariness, stating that "sanctions are necessary but insufficient for dealing with the growing mercenary trade".

"It’s an illicit economy and operating from the UAE, which is largely insulated from sanctions," he commented. The UAE has been widely accused of arming the RSF, allegations it disputes. "More contractors from Colombia are likely," the expert cautioned.