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

Group Makeup

Announcing the sanctions on this week, the American treasury stated the operation was primarily made up of Colombian nationals and companies.

Hundreds of former Colombian military personnel have reportedly travelled to Sudan to combat beside the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a force accused of severe violations encompassing ethnically targeted slaughter and large-scale abductions.

Discovery of Participation

The role of these mercenaries was first uncovered in 2024, prompted by an report which found that over three hundred ex-military personnel had been hired to engage in combat – an discovery that resulted in an unprecedented apology from the Colombian government.

Colombian ex-soldiers have long been considered as highly prized fighters in conflict zones due to their considerable warzone knowledge resulting from years of internal conflict, familiarity with Nato equipment, and superior tactical education.

Role in the Conflict

In Sudan, the mercenaries have allegedly instructed underage fighters, instructed militiamen in drone operation, and engaged in frontline combat. One source previously stated that instructing minors was "horrific and irrational" but noted that "sadly, that is the nature of conflict".

Sanctioned Individuals

Among those sanctioned was a retired Colombian officer, a individual with dual citizenship and retired Colombian military officer based in the United Arab Emirates. The US authorities accused him a pivotal function in enlisting and transporting former Colombian soldiers to Sudan. His wife, Claudia Oliveros, was also sanctioned.

Also on the penalty list was Mateo Duque Botero, a individual with Colombian and Spanish citizenship who officials alleged oversaw a company implicated in handling funds and payroll for the scheme. "In 2024 and 2025, American entities linked to Duque carried out numerous wire transfers, worth millions," the official announcement stated.

Citizen of Colombia Mónica Muñoz Ucros was the other individual to be penalized, with the company she managed accused of wire transfers linked to Duque and his companies.

"Washington reiterates its demand for foreign parties to halt the flow of monetary and weaponry aid to the combatants," the Treasury stated.

Reaction

Elizabeth Dickinson, from a conflict think tank, described the sanctions as a "very significant" development, noting that "targeting the enablers is the correct approach".

She added that, the Colombian government ratified a statute approving the anti-mercenary convention, seeking to reduce its citizens' long history in overseas wars and reshape its security approach.

Another expert, an expert on mercenaries, urged more caution, noting that "penalties are required yet incomplete for combating rampant mercenarism".

"It operates in the black market and based out of the UAE, which is relatively sanction-proof," he stated. The Emirati government has been widely accused of supplying weapons to the paramilitary group, claims it rejects. "Expect more Colombian mercenaries," McFate warned.