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The Washington has imposed sanctions on a operation of four people and four firms accused of recruiting South American contractors to combat alongside and instruct a Sudanese paramilitary group that Washington accuses of acts of genocide.

Group Makeup

Revealing the restrictions on this week, the US Treasury Department stated the operation was mostly comprised of individuals and businesses from Colombia.

Hundreds of retired Colombian troops have reportedly travelled to the conflict in Sudan to operate with the Sudanese RSF militia, a faction implicated in severe violations encompassing ethnically targeted slaughter and large-scale abductions.

Discovery of Participation

The involvement of Colombian fighters initially emerged the previous year, after an investigation which revealed that hundreds of retired troops had been hired to participate in the war – an discovery that led to an rare mea culpa from Colombia’s foreign ministry.

Colombian ex-soldiers have long been considered as some of the most in-demand contractors globally due to their considerable warzone knowledge gleaned from a long-running domestic war, knowledge of Western military gear, and superior tactical education.

Activities in Sudan

In the conflict, the contractors have reportedly trained child soldiers, provided drone warfare training, and fought directly on the frontlines. One source previously stated that instructing minors was "horrific and irrational" but commented that "unfortunately that’s how war is".

Sanctioned Individuals

Among those targeted was a dual national, a citizen of both Colombia and Italy and ex-soldier operating from the United Arab Emirates. The Treasury accused him a central role in hiring and sending former Colombian soldiers to Sudan. His spouse, Claudia Oliveros, was penalized as well.

Also on the penalty list was Mateo Andrés Duque Botero, a dual national who the Treasury stated ran a firm linked to handling funds and payroll for the network. "In 2024 and 2025, companies in the United States connected to Duque engaged in multiple financial transactions, totalling millions of US dollars," the Treasury statement stated.

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

"The United States again calls on external actors to stop giving monetary and weaponry aid to the belligerents," the Treasury announced.

Analyst Commentary

Elizabeth Dickinson, with the International Crisis Group, called the sanctions as a "major" development, saying that "calling out those who are doing the contracting is the proper strategy".

She added that, Bogotá recently passed a statute endorsing the International Convention Against the Recruitment and Use of Mercenaries, designed to limit its citizens' long history in international fights and reshape its security approach.

Another expert, a authority on private military contractors, advised additional measures, saying that "sanctions are necessary but insufficient for combating widespread use of contractors".

"It’s an illicit economy and operating from Dubai, which is relatively sanction-proof," he stated. The UAE has been widely accused of arming the RSF, an accusation it has denied. "Expect more Colombian mercenaries," the expert cautioned.