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The United States has enforced penalties on a group of four people and four firms accused of hiring South American contractors to support and educate a Sudanese paramilitary group the United States claims of genocidal acts.

Network Composition

Disclosing the sanctions on this week, the American treasury stated the scheme was primarily made up of Colombian citizens and firms.

Numerous of ex-soldiers from Colombia have been recruited to go to the Sudanese warzone to combat beside the RSF paramilitary group, a faction implicated in terrible atrocities including ethnically targeted slaughter and large-scale abductions.

Emergence of Involvement

The participation of ex-soldiers first came to light the previous year, after an investigation which disclosed that over three hundred ex-military personnel had been recruited to fight – an event that resulted in an rare mea culpa from the Colombian government.

These South American veterans have historically been seen as among the world’s most sought-after mercenaries due to their vast combat experience acquired during decades of civil war, training on Western military gear, and high-level combat training.

Reported Actions

In Sudan, the mercenaries have allegedly instructed underage fighters, taught fighters to pilot drones, and engaged in frontline combat. A mercenary remarked that instructing minors was "awful and crazy" but added that "sadly, that is the nature of conflict".

Sanctioned Individuals

Among those targeted was a retired Colombian officer, a dual Colombian-Italian national and former army officer operating from the UAE. The US authorities accused him a key part in hiring and sending former Colombian soldiers to Sudan. His spouse, Claudia Oliveros, was also sanctioned.

Also on the penalty list was Duque Botero, a individual with Colombian and Spanish citizenship who the Treasury stated ran a firm linked to handling funds and payroll for the recruitment operation. "In 2024 and 2025, companies in the United States associated with Duque engaged in several money transfers, worth millions," the Treasury statement stated.

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

"The US once more urges outside forces to stop giving funding and arms to the warring parties," the department announced.

Reaction

A senior analyst, senior analyst at the International Crisis Group, called the measures as a "highly important" milestone, stating that "calling out those who are doing the contracting is the proper strategy".

She added that, the Colombian government has enacted a statute approving the anti-mercenary convention, seeking to reduce decades of Colombian involvement in overseas wars and reshape its security approach.

Sean McFate, a authority on private military contractors, called for greater wariness, saying that "restrictions are needed but not enough for combating the growing mercenary trade".

"It’s an illicit economy and centered in the UAE, which is largely insulated from sanctions," he said. The UAE has been widely accused of providing arms to the militia, claims it rejects. "This trend will probably continue," he advised.