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The United States has imposed sanctions on a group of four people and four firms accused of hiring South American contractors to support and educate a militia force in Sudan which the US alleges of acts of genocide.

Network Composition

Disclosing the restrictions on Tuesday, the US Treasury Department stated the operation was mostly comprised of Colombian nationals and companies.

Numerous of retired Colombian troops have been recruited to go to the Sudanese warzone to operate with the Sudanese RSF militia, a faction implicated in severe violations including targeted ethnic killings and mass abductions.

Discovery of Participation

The participation of ex-soldiers was first uncovered last year, prompted by an report which disclosed that over three hundred retired troops had been contracted to engage in combat – an event that prompted an unusual statement of regret from officials in Bogotá.

These South American veterans have widely regarded as some of the most in-demand contractors globally due to their considerable warzone knowledge gleaned from a long-running domestic war, knowledge of Nato equipment, and elite military instruction.

Activities in Sudan

In the Sudanese theater, the mercenaries have reportedly trained child soldiers, instructed militiamen in drone operation, and participated in direct battles. One source remarked that instructing minors was "awful and crazy" but commented that "unfortunately that’s how war is".

Named Entities

Among those sanctioned was a dual national, a dual Colombian-Italian national and former army officer operating from the UAE. The government accused him a central role in recruiting and deploying mercenaries to Sudan. His spouse, Claudia Oliveros, was also sanctioned.

Also on the sanctions list was Mateo Duque Botero, a dual national who the Treasury stated ran a firm implicated in handling funds and payroll for the recruitment operation. "In 2024 and 2025, US-based firms associated with Duque carried out numerous wire transfers, totalling millions of US dollars," the government release said.

Citizen of Colombia Mónica Muñoz was the fourth individual to be penalized, with the firm she operated said to have conducted money transfers linked to Duque and his companies.

"Washington reiterates its demand for foreign parties to stop giving monetary and weaponry aid to the belligerents," the agency said in a statement.

Reaction

A senior analyst, with the International Crisis Group, labeled the measures as a "very significant" milestone, noting that "calling out those who are doing the contracting is the correct approach".

She added that, the Colombian government ratified a law 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, noting that "restrictions are needed but not enough for combating widespread use of contractors".

"It operates in the black market and operating from Dubai, which is relatively sanction-proof," he commented. The Emirati government has been repeatedly implicated of supplying weapons to the paramilitary group, an accusation it has denied. "Expect more Colombian mercenaries," the expert cautioned.