🔗 Share this article

The Washington has imposed sanctions on a network of four individuals and four companies charged of enlisting South American contractors to combat alongside and instruct a militia force in Sudan which the US alleges of genocidal acts.

Group Makeup

Disclosing the measures on Tuesday, the US Treasury Department stated the scheme was primarily made up of Colombian nationals and companies.

Hundreds of retired Colombian troops have allegedly journeyed to the conflict in Sudan to combat beside the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a force accused of severe violations encompassing massacres based on ethnicity and large-scale abductions.

Discovery of Participation

The role of these mercenaries first came to light in 2024, prompted by an investigation which found that more than 300 former soldiers had been contracted to fight – an discovery that resulted in an unprecedented apology from Colombia’s foreign ministry.

Colombian ex-soldiers have long been considered as among the world’s most sought-after mercenaries due to their vast combat experience gleaned from a long-running domestic war, familiarity with Western military gear, and superior tactical education.

Activities in Sudan

In Sudan, the Colombians have reportedly trained child soldiers, taught fighters to pilot drones, and engaged in frontline combat. A mercenary remarked that instructing minors was "horrific and irrational" but commented that "unfortunately that’s how war is".

Named Entities

Among those sanctioned was a dual national, a dual Colombian-Italian national and ex-soldier operating from the UAE. The Treasury alleged he played a key part in enlisting and transporting ex-military personnel to Sudan. His spouse, Claudia Viviana Oliveros Forero, was similarly targeted.

Also on the penalty list was Mateo Andrés Duque Botero, a individual with Colombian and Spanish citizenship who officials alleged oversaw a company linked to processing money and salaries for the scheme. "Recently, US-based firms linked to Duque carried out several money transfers, amounting to millions," the official announcement noted.

Citizen of Colombia Mónica Muñoz was the other individual to be sanctioned, with the company she managed accused of wire transfers connected to Duque and his businesses.

"The US once more urges external actors to stop giving monetary and weaponry aid to the warring parties," the department said in a statement.

Reaction

A senior analyst, senior analyst at the International Crisis Group, described the measures as a "major" milestone, stating that "targeting the enablers is the right way to go".

Furthermore, Colombia recently passed a statute endorsing the International Convention Against the Recruitment and Use of Mercenaries, aiming to curb its citizens' long history in foreign conflicts and reshape domestic defense strategy.

Another expert, a authority on private military contractors, called for greater wariness, noting that "penalties are required yet incomplete for addressing widespread use of contractors".

"It operates in the black market and based out of Dubai, which is largely insulated from sanctions," he commented. The Emirati government has been repeatedly implicated of arming the RSF, claims it rejects. "Expect more Colombian mercenaries," McFate warned.