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The Washington has levied restrictions on a operation of four people and four firms alleged of hiring South American contractors to combat alongside and instruct a armed faction in Sudan the United States claims of acts of genocide.

Operation Structure

Announcing the sanctions on this week, the Treasury stated the network was largely composed of individuals and businesses from Colombia.

Scores of former Colombian military personnel have been recruited to go to the Sudanese warzone to combat beside the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a faction linked to severe violations including ethnically targeted slaughter and mass abductions.

Emergence of Involvement

The participation of ex-soldiers initially emerged in 2024, following an report which disclosed that more than 300 retired troops had been recruited to fight – an discovery that led to an rare mea culpa from Colombia’s foreign ministry.

Colombian ex-soldiers have widely regarded as some of the most in-demand contractors globally due to their vast combat experience resulting from years of internal conflict, familiarity with Nato equipment, and elite military instruction.

Activities in Sudan

In the conflict, the contractors have reportedly trained underage fighters, provided drone warfare training, and fought directly on the frontlines. One source was quoted as saying that working with child soldiers was "horrific and irrational" but noted that "unfortunately that’s how war is".

Targeted Persons

Among those penalized was a dual national, a individual with dual citizenship and former army officer based in the Dubai. The Treasury said he had a central role in recruiting and deploying mercenaries to Sudan. His spouse, Claudia Viviana Oliveros Forero, was also sanctioned.

Also on the sanctions list was Mateo Andrés Duque Botero, a dual national who authorities say managed a business linked to processing money and salaries for the scheme. "Over the past two years, companies in the United States linked to Duque conducted numerous wire transfers, totalling millions of US dollars," the official announcement said.

Colombian national Mónica Muñoz Ucros was the other individual to be targeted, with the company she managed accused of financial transactions linked to Duque and his operations.

"Washington reiterates its demand for external actors to stop giving financial and military support to the warring parties," the agency said in a statement.

Expert Analysis

Elizabeth Dickinson, from a conflict think tank, labeled the sanctions as a "major" milestone, saying that "identifying the recruiters is the proper strategy".

She added that, Colombia ratified a law approving the anti-mercenary convention, designed to limit decades of Colombian involvement in overseas wars and change its security approach.

A mercenary specialist, an expert on mercenaries, advised additional measures, saying that "penalties are required yet incomplete for combating rampant mercenarism".

"It operates in the black market and based out of Dubai, which is difficult to penalize," he commented. The United Arab Emirates has been widely accused of arming the RSF, allegations it disputes. "Expect more Colombian mercenaries," the expert cautioned.