🔗 Share this article

The United States has imposed sanctions on a network of four individuals and four companies alleged of recruiting South American contractors to fight for and train a armed faction in Sudan that Washington accuses of committing genocide.

Operation Structure

Disclosing the measures on Tuesday, the US Treasury Department stated the scheme was mostly comprised of Colombian citizens and firms.

Hundreds of ex-soldiers from Colombia have allegedly journeyed to the conflict in Sudan to operate with the Sudanese RSF militia, a force implicated in severe violations encompassing massacres based on ethnicity and mass abductions.

Revelation of Role

The involvement of Colombian fighters was first uncovered in 2024, after an investigation which disclosed that more than 300 retired troops had been contracted to participate in the war – an discovery that prompted an unusual statement of regret from officials in Bogotá.

Former Colombian military have widely regarded as among the world’s most sought-after mercenaries due to their considerable warzone knowledge resulting from a long-running domestic war, knowledge of Western military gear, and elite military instruction.

Role in the Conflict

In the conflict, the Colombians have reportedly trained underage fighters, provided drone warfare training, and engaged in frontline combat. One source previously stated that working with child soldiers was "terrible and insane" but commented that "regrettably, war operates that way".

Targeted Persons

Among those targeted was a dual national, a individual with dual citizenship and former army officer operating from the United Arab Emirates. The government alleged he played a key part in recruiting and deploying ex-military personnel to Sudan. His wife, Claudia Viviana Oliveros Forero, was penalized as well.

Also on the penalty list was Duque Botero, a dual Colombian-Spanish citizen who the Treasury stated managed a business accused of handling funds and payroll for the scheme. "Recently, US-based firms linked to Duque conducted several money transfers, totalling millions of US dollars," the official announcement stated.

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

"The US once more urges external actors to stop giving financial and military support to the belligerents," the Treasury announced.

Analyst Commentary

Elizabeth Dickinson, with the International Crisis Group, described the sanctions as a "major" development, noting that "calling out those who are doing the contracting is the proper strategy".

It was also noted that, Bogotá has enacted a statute approving the International Convention Against the Recruitment and Use of Mercenaries, designed to limit its citizens' long history in overseas wars and change domestic defense strategy.

A mercenary specialist, a authority on private military contractors, urged more caution, noting that "sanctions are necessary but insufficient for combating widespread use of contractors".

"It operates in the black market and operating from Dubai, which is difficult to penalize," he commented. The UAE has been widely accused of arming the RSF, claims it rejects. "More contractors from Colombia are likely," McFate warned.