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The Washington has levied restrictions on a network of four individuals and four companies accused of hiring Colombian mercenaries to fight for and train a Sudanese paramilitary group the United States claims of committing genocide.

Network Composition

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

Scores of retired Colombian troops have been recruited to go to Sudan to fight alongside the RSF paramilitary group, a faction accused of horrific war crimes such as targeted ethnic killings and widespread kidnappings.

Emergence of Involvement

The role of these mercenaries initially emerged the previous year, prompted by an report which revealed that hundreds of former soldiers had been recruited to participate in the war – an discovery that led to an unprecedented apology from the Colombian government.

Colombian ex-soldiers have widely regarded as highly prized fighters in conflict zones due to their extensive battlefield experience resulting from decades of civil war, familiarity with advanced weaponry, and high-level combat training.

Reported Actions

In the conflict, the Colombians have been accused of teaching underage fighters, instructed militiamen in drone operation, and engaged in frontline combat. An individual involved was quoted as saying that instructing minors was "terrible and insane" but noted that "regrettably, war operates that way".

Targeted Persons

Among those penalized was a dual national, a citizen of both Colombia and Italy and former army officer based in the United Arab Emirates. The Treasury accused him a pivotal function in enlisting and transporting ex-military personnel to Sudan. His wife, Claudia Oliveros, was also sanctioned.

Also on the sanctions list was Mateo Andrés Duque Botero, a dual Colombian-Spanish citizen who authorities say ran a firm linked to handling funds and payroll for the network. "In 2024 and 2025, US-based firms associated with Duque carried out multiple financial transactions, amounting to millions," the government release noted.

Individual Mónica Muñoz was the fourth individual to be penalized, with the firm she operated said to have conducted wire transfers linked to Duque and his businesses.

"The United States again calls on outside forces to stop giving monetary and weaponry aid to the warring parties," the agency said in a statement.

Reaction

Elizabeth Dickinson, with the International Crisis Group, called the sanctions as a "very significant" step, noting that "calling out those who are doing the contracting is the right way to go".

Furthermore, Colombia ratified a statute ratifying the anti-mercenary convention, designed to limit 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 addressing the growing mercenary trade".

"This is a shadow economy and operating from Dubai, which is largely insulated from sanctions," he stated. The Emirati government has been widely accused of arming the RSF, an accusation it has denied. "This trend will probably continue," the expert cautioned.