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The Washington has enforced penalties on a network of four people and four firms charged of recruiting South American contractors to support and educate a Sudanese paramilitary group that Washington accuses of committing genocide.

Group Makeup

Disclosing the measures on Tuesday, the American treasury stated the operation was largely composed of Colombian citizens and firms.

Scores of ex-soldiers from Colombia have been recruited to go to the conflict in Sudan to combat beside the Sudanese RSF militia, a group accused of severe violations encompassing massacres based on ethnicity and large-scale abductions.

Revelation of Role

The participation of ex-soldiers was first uncovered last year, following an inquiry which found that over three hundred retired troops had been recruited to fight – an event that led to an rare mea culpa from Colombia’s foreign ministry.

Colombian ex-soldiers have long been considered as highly prized fighters in conflict zones due to their considerable warzone knowledge acquired during decades of civil war, training on Nato equipment, and elite military instruction.

Activities in Sudan

In the Sudanese theater, the contractors have reportedly trained child soldiers, provided drone warfare training, and participated in direct battles. An individual involved remarked that instructing minors was "awful and crazy" but commented that "sadly, that is the nature of conflict".

Named Entities

Among those targeted was a dual national, a individual with dual citizenship and retired Colombian military officer operating from the UAE. The US authorities accused him a pivotal function in enlisting and transporting ex-military personnel to Sudan. His wife, Claudia Oliveros, was similarly targeted.

Also on the sanctions list was Mateo Duque Botero, a dual Colombian-Spanish citizen who officials alleged oversaw a company accused of processing money and salaries for the network. "In 2024 and 2025, US-based firms associated with Duque carried out multiple financial transactions, amounting to millions," the official announcement noted.

Individual Mónica Muñoz was the final person to be targeted, with the firm she operated accused of money transfers connected to Duque and his operations.

"Washington reiterates its demand for foreign parties to cease providing monetary and weaponry aid to the combatants," the department announced.

Analyst Commentary

A senior analyst, senior analyst at the International Crisis Group, called the sanctions as a "highly important" development, saying that "targeting the enablers is the right way to go".

It was also noted that, Colombia recently passed a statute endorsing the global treaty against mercenarism, designed to limit its citizens' long history in foreign conflicts and transform national security policy.

Another expert, a scholar on the subject, advised additional measures, saying that "penalties are required yet incomplete for dealing with the growing mercenary trade".

"It operates in the black market and operating from Dubai, which is relatively sanction-proof," he stated. The United Arab Emirates has been repeatedly implicated of supplying weapons to the paramilitary group, claims it rejects. "Expect more Colombian mercenaries," McFate warned.