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The Washington has levied restrictions on a network of several persons and entities charged of recruiting Colombian mercenaries to support and educate a armed faction in Sudan that Washington accuses of committing genocide.

Operation Structure

Announcing the sanctions on Tuesday, the American treasury stated the network was largely composed of individuals and businesses from Colombia.

Numerous of former Colombian military personnel have been recruited to go to the conflict in Sudan to combat beside the Sudanese RSF militia, a faction accused of horrific war crimes such as targeted ethnic killings and large-scale abductions.

Revelation of Role

The involvement of Colombian fighters first came to light in 2024, following an inquiry which found that more than 300 ex-military personnel had been recruited to participate in the war – an revelation that resulted in an rare mea culpa from officials in Bogotá.

Colombian ex-soldiers have historically been seen as some of the most in-demand contractors globally due to their vast combat experience acquired during decades of civil war, familiarity with Western military gear, and high-level combat training.

Role in the Conflict

In the Sudanese theater, the Colombians have reportedly trained minors, provided drone warfare training, and fought directly on the frontlines. A mercenary previously stated that instructing minors was "terrible and insane" but commented that "unfortunately that’s how war is".

Targeted Persons

Among those sanctioned was a retired Colombian officer, a dual Colombian-Italian national and retired Colombian military officer located in the Dubai. The US authorities alleged he played a central role in recruiting and deploying ex-military personnel to Sudan. His wife, Claudia Viviana Oliveros Forero, was penalized as well.

Also on the restricted list was Mateo Andrés Duque Botero, a dual Colombian-Spanish citizen who authorities say managed a business implicated in managing finances and payments for the network. "Recently, American entities connected to Duque engaged in multiple financial transactions, worth millions," the government release said.

Colombian national Mónica Muñoz was the other individual to be sanctioned, with the company she managed alleged to have financial transactions linked to Duque and his companies.

"Washington reiterates its demand for foreign parties to cease providing funding and arms to the belligerents," the Treasury stated.

Expert Analysis

Elizabeth Dickinson, with the International Crisis Group, called the measures as a "major" step, stating that "targeting the enablers is the right way to go".

It was also noted that, Bogotá recently passed a law endorsing the International Convention Against the Recruitment and Use of Mercenaries, aiming to curb years of participation by its nationals in foreign conflicts and change national security policy.

Sean McFate, a scholar on the subject, advised additional measures, stating that "sanctions are necessary but insufficient for dealing with widespread use of contractors".

"This is a shadow economy and operating from the Emirates, which is relatively sanction-proof," he commented. The United Arab Emirates has been repeatedly implicated of providing arms to the militia, an accusation it has denied. "More contractors from Colombia are likely," McFate warned.