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The Washington has levied restrictions on a operation of several persons and entities alleged of hiring South American contractors to support and educate a militia force in Sudan which the US alleges of committing genocide.

Group Makeup

Revealing the sanctions on Tuesday, the American treasury stated the network was largely composed of Colombian nationals and companies.

Scores of retired Colombian troops have reportedly travelled to Sudan to combat beside the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a faction accused of severe violations including ethnically targeted slaughter and large-scale abductions.

Emergence of Involvement

The involvement of Colombian fighters was first uncovered in 2024, prompted by an inquiry which found that hundreds of ex-military personnel had been hired to engage in combat – an revelation that prompted an rare mea culpa from the Colombian government.

Former Colombian military have long been considered as some of the most in-demand contractors globally due to their considerable warzone knowledge gleaned from decades of civil war, knowledge of Western military gear, and elite military instruction.

Activities in Sudan

In the Sudanese theater, the Colombians have been accused of teaching underage fighters, taught fighters to pilot drones, and participated in direct battles. An individual involved was quoted as saying that working with child soldiers was "horrific and irrational" but added that "regrettably, war operates that way".

Targeted Persons

Among those sanctioned was a dual national, a citizen of both Colombia and Italy and former army officer located in the United Arab Emirates. The US authorities accused him a key part in hiring and sending mercenaries to Sudan. His wife, Claudia Oliveros, was also sanctioned.

Also on the restricted list was Mateo Andrés Duque Botero, a dual Colombian-Spanish citizen who officials alleged oversaw a company implicated in processing money and salaries for the scheme. "Recently, US-based firms linked to Duque engaged in several money transfers, amounting to millions," the Treasury statement stated.

Individual Mónica Muñoz was the other individual to be sanctioned, with the company she managed said to have conducted money transfers linked to Duque and his companies.

"The US once more urges external actors to halt the flow of funding and arms to the belligerents," the Treasury said in a statement.

Reaction

A senior analyst, senior analyst at the International Crisis Group, described the measures as a "highly important" step, saying that "calling out those who are doing the contracting is the right way to go".

It was also noted that, the Colombian government recently passed a law approving the anti-mercenary convention, aiming to curb decades of Colombian involvement in overseas wars and reshape national security policy.

Another expert, a authority on private military contractors, urged more caution, saying that "penalties are required yet incomplete for combating rampant mercenarism".

"It operates in the black market and operating from Dubai, which is relatively sanction-proof," he commented. The Emirati government has been widely accused of providing arms to the militia, allegations it disputes. "More contractors from Colombia are likely," he advised.