🔗 Share this article

The United States has enforced penalties on a group of several persons and entities accused of recruiting Colombian mercenaries to combat alongside and instruct a militia force in Sudan that Washington accuses of committing genocide.

Network Composition

Disclosing the restrictions on this week, the US Treasury Department stated the scheme was primarily made up of Colombian citizens and firms.

Hundreds of former Colombian military personnel have been recruited to go to Sudan to fight alongside the RSF paramilitary group, a group accused of terrible atrocities including targeted ethnic killings and mass abductions.

Discovery of Participation

The involvement of Colombian fighters initially emerged last year, prompted by an report which found that over three hundred retired troops had been hired to participate in the war – an event that resulted in an unprecedented apology from Colombia’s foreign ministry.

Former Colombian military have widely regarded as among the world’s most sought-after mercenaries due to their extensive battlefield experience resulting from decades of civil war, knowledge of Western military gear, and high-level combat training.

Role in the Conflict

In Sudan, the contractors have reportedly trained underage fighters, instructed militiamen in drone operation, and participated in direct battles. An individual involved was quoted as saying that instructing minors was "awful and crazy" but added that "sadly, that is the nature of conflict".

Named Entities

Among those penalized was a retired Colombian officer, a dual Colombian-Italian national and former army officer located in the United Arab Emirates. The Treasury accused him a central role in recruiting and deploying mercenaries to Sudan. His wife, Claudia Viviana Oliveros Forero, was also sanctioned.

Also on the penalty list was Mateo Andrés Duque Botero, a individual with Colombian and Spanish citizenship who authorities say oversaw a company linked to managing finances and payments for the network. "In 2024 and 2025, companies in the United States connected to Duque engaged in numerous wire transfers, worth millions," the Treasury statement noted.

Colombian national Mónica Muñoz was the fourth individual to be penalized, with the entity she oversaw said to have conducted wire transfers linked to Duque and his businesses.

"The US once more urges foreign parties to halt the flow of monetary and weaponry aid to the belligerents," the department announced.

Expert Analysis

An expert, with the International Crisis Group, described the sanctions as a "major" milestone, saying that "calling out those who are doing the contracting is the proper strategy".

Furthermore, Bogotá has enacted a piece of legislation approving the global treaty against mercenarism, aiming to curb years of participation by its nationals in foreign conflicts and reshape its security approach.

Another expert, an expert on mercenaries, called for greater wariness, noting that "sanctions are necessary but insufficient for addressing widespread use of contractors".

"It operates in the black market and centered in the UAE, which is largely insulated from sanctions," he stated. The United Arab Emirates has been frequently alleged of supplying weapons to the paramilitary group, an accusation it has denied. "This trend will probably continue," the expert cautioned.