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The United States has levied restrictions on a operation of several persons and entities charged of hiring South American contractors to combat alongside and instruct a Sudanese paramilitary group that Washington accuses of committing genocide.

Operation Structure

Revealing the sanctions on Tuesday, the American treasury stated the operation was largely composed 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 group implicated in horrific war crimes including ethnically targeted slaughter and large-scale abductions.

Emergence of Involvement

The role of these mercenaries was first uncovered in 2024, following an report which revealed that over three hundred retired troops had been hired to fight – an event that led to an rare mea culpa from Colombia’s foreign ministry.

Colombian ex-soldiers have historically been seen as some of the most in-demand contractors globally due to their vast combat experience gleaned from a long-running domestic war, familiarity with Nato equipment, and elite military instruction.

Role in the Conflict

In the Sudanese theater, the Colombians have allegedly instructed child soldiers, taught fighters to pilot drones, and participated in direct battles. An individual involved was quoted as saying that working with child soldiers was "terrible and insane" but noted that "sadly, that is the nature of conflict".

Targeted Persons

Among those targeted was a retired Colombian officer, a dual Colombian-Italian national and former army officer based in the Dubai. The Treasury alleged he played a pivotal function in recruiting and deploying mercenaries to Sudan. His wife, Claudia Oliveros, was also sanctioned.

Also on the sanctions list was Duque Botero, a dual Colombian-Spanish citizen who officials alleged managed a business linked to processing money and salaries for the scheme. "Over the past two years, American entities associated with Duque engaged in multiple financial transactions, amounting to millions," the government release stated.

Colombian national Mónica Muñoz Ucros was the fourth individual to be penalized, with the firm she operated accused of money transfers connected to Duque and his companies.

"The US once more urges foreign parties to stop giving funding and arms to the belligerents," the department said in a statement.

Reaction

A senior analyst, senior analyst at the International Crisis Group, described the sanctions as a "major" development, stating that "calling out those who are doing the contracting is the correct approach".

It was also noted that, Bogotá has enacted a statute ratifying the anti-mercenary convention, designed to limit its citizens' long history in overseas wars and transform national security policy.

A mercenary specialist, an expert on mercenaries, urged more caution, noting that "sanctions are necessary but insufficient for dealing with widespread use of contractors".

"It operates in the black market and centered in the UAE, which is largely insulated from sanctions," he said. The United Arab Emirates has been widely accused of supplying weapons to the paramilitary group, allegations it disputes. "More contractors from Colombia are likely," he advised.