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The United States has enforced penalties on a network of several persons and entities alleged of enlisting South American contractors to fight for and train a militia force in Sudan the United States claims of acts of genocide.

Network Composition

Revealing the measures on Tuesday, the Treasury stated the network was largely composed of individuals and businesses from Colombia.

Hundreds of ex-soldiers from Colombia have been recruited to go to the Sudanese warzone to operate with the Sudanese RSF militia, a group implicated in severe violations such as targeted ethnic killings and mass abductions.

Emergence of Involvement

The involvement of Colombian fighters was first uncovered last year, after an report which disclosed that more than 300 former soldiers had been hired to engage in combat – an discovery that led to an unprecedented apology from officials in Bogotá.

Colombian ex-soldiers have historically been seen as among the world’s most sought-after mercenaries due to their extensive battlefield experience acquired during decades of civil war, knowledge of advanced weaponry, and elite military instruction.

Reported Actions

In Sudan, the mercenaries have allegedly instructed child soldiers, instructed militiamen in drone operation, and engaged in frontline combat. An individual involved remarked that training children was "awful and crazy" but added that "regrettably, war operates that way".

Named Entities

Among those targeted was a retired Colombian officer, a citizen of both Colombia and Italy and former army officer operating from the United Arab Emirates. The Treasury said he had a central role in hiring and sending ex-military personnel to Sudan. His spouse, Claudia Viviana Oliveros Forero, was similarly targeted.

Also on the sanctions list was Duque Botero, a individual with Colombian and Spanish citizenship who officials alleged ran a firm implicated in handling funds and payroll for the recruitment operation. "In 2024 and 2025, US-based firms linked to Duque conducted several money transfers, totalling millions of US dollars," the Treasury statement said.

Colombian national Mónica Muñoz Ucros was the fourth individual to be targeted, with the company she managed accused of wire transfers associated with Duque and his companies.

"The United States again calls on foreign parties to cease providing monetary and weaponry aid to the warring parties," the department stated.

Analyst Commentary

Elizabeth Dickinson, with the International Crisis Group, labeled the actions as a "very significant" step, stating that "targeting the enablers is the right way to go".

She added that, Bogotá recently passed a statute ratifying the anti-mercenary convention, designed to limit decades of Colombian involvement in foreign conflicts and reshape domestic defense strategy.

A mercenary specialist, a scholar on the subject, called for greater wariness, saying that "restrictions are needed but not enough for combating rampant mercenarism".

"It operates in the black market and based out of Dubai, which is largely insulated from sanctions," he stated. The Emirati government has been frequently alleged of providing arms to the militia, an accusation it has denied. "Expect more Colombian mercenaries," he advised.