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The US government has levied restrictions on a operation of several persons and entities charged of recruiting former Colombian soldiers to fight for and train a armed faction in Sudan which the US alleges of acts of genocide.

Group Makeup

Revealing the measures on Tuesday, the American treasury stated the operation was primarily made up of Colombian nationals and companies.

Hundreds of retired Colombian troops have been recruited to go to the Sudanese warzone to operate with the Sudanese RSF militia, a faction linked to terrible atrocities encompassing ethnically targeted slaughter and mass abductions.

Discovery of Participation

The role of these mercenaries was first uncovered the previous year, prompted by an investigation which disclosed that over three hundred retired troops had been contracted to fight – an discovery that prompted an rare mea culpa from Colombia’s foreign ministry.

Former Colombian military have widely regarded as some of the most in-demand contractors globally due to their considerable warzone knowledge resulting from a long-running domestic war, training on Nato equipment, and high-level combat training.

Activities in Sudan

In Sudan, the mercenaries have reportedly trained minors, provided drone warfare training, and engaged in frontline combat. An individual involved remarked that working with child soldiers was "horrific and irrational" but commented that "unfortunately that’s how war is".

Targeted Persons

Among those penalized was a retired Colombian officer, a dual Colombian-Italian national and ex-soldier based in the United Arab Emirates. The Treasury said he had a central role in hiring and sending ex-military personnel to Sudan. His wife, Claudia Oliveros, was penalized as well.

Also on the restricted list was Duque Botero, a dual Colombian-Spanish citizen who the Treasury stated ran a firm implicated in processing money and salaries for the recruitment operation. "In 2024 and 2025, American entities connected to Duque conducted several money transfers, amounting to millions," the official announcement noted.

Citizen of Colombia Mónica Muñoz was the final person to be penalized, with the company she managed alleged to have money transfers associated with Duque and his companies.

"The US once more urges external actors to stop giving monetary and weaponry aid to the warring parties," the Treasury stated.

Expert Analysis

An expert, with the International Crisis Group, called the sanctions as a "major" development, stating that "calling out those who are doing the contracting is the right way to go".

She added that, Colombia recently passed a law endorsing the International Convention Against the Recruitment and Use of Mercenaries, seeking to reduce its citizens' long history in overseas wars and reshape its security approach.

A mercenary specialist, a scholar on the subject, advised additional measures, saying that "restrictions are needed but not enough for combating widespread use of contractors".

"This is a shadow economy and based out of the Emirates, which is largely insulated from sanctions," he commented. The United Arab Emirates has been repeatedly implicated of arming the RSF, an accusation it has denied. "More contractors from Colombia are likely," he advised.