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The Washington has levied restrictions on a network of four people and four firms alleged of enlisting former Colombian soldiers to support and educate a armed faction in Sudan which the US alleges of acts of genocide.

Network Composition

Disclosing the restrictions on this week, the US Treasury Department stated the operation was primarily made up of individuals and businesses from Colombia.

Numerous of ex-soldiers from Colombia have reportedly travelled to the conflict in Sudan to combat beside the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a faction implicated in severe violations encompassing targeted ethnic killings and large-scale abductions.

Discovery of Participation

The involvement of Colombian fighters initially emerged in 2024, prompted by an investigation which found that more than 300 ex-military personnel had been recruited to fight – an event that prompted an unprecedented apology from Colombia’s foreign ministry.

Former Colombian military have historically been seen as some of the most in-demand contractors globally due to their vast combat experience acquired during a long-running domestic war, training on advanced weaponry, and elite military instruction.

Reported Actions

In the Sudanese theater, the Colombians have reportedly trained underage fighters, taught fighters to pilot drones, and fought directly on the frontlines. An individual involved remarked that working with child soldiers was "terrible and insane" but commented that "regrettably, war operates that way".

Named Entities

Among those targeted was a dual national, a dual Colombian-Italian national and former army officer operating from the Dubai. The Treasury said he had a central role in enlisting and transporting mercenaries to Sudan. His spouse, Claudia Oliveros, was also sanctioned.

Also on the sanctions list was Duque Botero, a individual with Colombian and Spanish citizenship who officials alleged managed a business implicated in managing finances and payments for the network. "Over the past two years, American entities linked to Duque carried out several money transfers, totalling millions of US dollars," the government release said.

Citizen of Colombia Mónica Muñoz Ucros was the fourth individual to be targeted, with the entity she oversaw accused of financial transactions linked to Duque and his businesses.

"Washington reiterates its demand for external actors to halt the flow of funding and arms to the combatants," the Treasury said in a statement.

Reaction

An expert, from a conflict think tank, labeled the actions as a "major" step, saying that "targeting the enablers is the right way to go".

Furthermore, Colombia has enacted a statute endorsing the anti-mercenary convention, aiming to curb years of participation by its nationals in international fights and reshape national security policy.

Sean McFate, an expert on mercenaries, called for greater wariness, noting that "restrictions are needed but not enough for combating widespread use of contractors".

"This is a shadow economy and based out of Dubai, which is relatively sanction-proof," he stated. The UAE has been widely accused of supplying weapons to the paramilitary group, allegations it disputes. "More contractors from Colombia are likely," McFate warned.