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The Washington has enforced penalties on a group of several persons and entities charged of hiring South American contractors to fight for and train a Sudanese paramilitary group that Washington accuses of genocidal acts.

Group Makeup

Revealing the restrictions on Tuesday, the US Treasury Department stated the operation was primarily made up 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 RSF paramilitary group, a faction implicated in severe violations encompassing ethnically targeted slaughter and widespread kidnappings.

Revelation of Role

The role of these mercenaries was first uncovered the previous year, prompted by an report which disclosed that hundreds of former soldiers had been recruited to fight – an event that prompted an rare mea culpa from the Colombian government.

These South American veterans have widely regarded as among the world’s most sought-after mercenaries due to their vast combat experience resulting from decades of civil war, training on advanced weaponry, and high-level combat training.

Role in the Conflict

In the Sudanese theater, the mercenaries have been accused of teaching child soldiers, provided drone warfare training, and engaged in frontline combat. An individual involved previously stated that instructing minors was "horrific and irrational" but added that "sadly, that is the nature of conflict".

Sanctioned Individuals

Among those targeted was a dual national, a dual Colombian-Italian national and retired Colombian military officer based in the United Arab Emirates. The US authorities alleged he played a central role in recruiting and deploying former Colombian soldiers to Sudan. His wife, Claudia Oliveros, was similarly targeted.

Also on the penalty list was Mateo Andrés Duque Botero, a individual with Colombian and Spanish citizenship who the Treasury stated oversaw a company linked to managing finances and payments for the recruitment operation. "In 2024 and 2025, American entities linked to Duque engaged in several money transfers, totalling millions of US dollars," the government release noted.

Citizen of Colombia Mónica Muñoz was the fourth individual to be penalized, with the entity she oversaw accused of money transfers connected to Duque and his companies.

"Washington reiterates its demand for outside forces to cease providing funding and arms to the belligerents," the Treasury announced.

Reaction

Elizabeth Dickinson, from a conflict think tank, described the measures as a "highly important" step, stating that "calling out those who are doing the contracting is the correct approach".

Furthermore, Bogotá has enacted a law approving the anti-mercenary convention, seeking to reduce decades of Colombian involvement in foreign conflicts and reshape its security approach.

Sean McFate, an expert on mercenaries, advised additional measures, saying that "penalties are required yet incomplete for addressing widespread use of contractors".

"It operates in the black market and based out of the Emirates, which is difficult to penalize," he said. The UAE has been repeatedly implicated of arming the RSF, allegations it disputes. "Expect more Colombian mercenaries," the expert cautioned.