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The US government has enforced penalties on a group of four people and four firms accused of recruiting former Colombian soldiers to support and educate a Sudanese paramilitary group that Washington accuses of committing genocide.

Group Makeup

Disclosing the restrictions on this week, the American treasury stated the network was largely composed of Colombian citizens and firms.

Scores of former Colombian military personnel have been recruited to go to the conflict in Sudan to fight alongside the RSF paramilitary group, a group accused of horrific war crimes including targeted ethnic killings and large-scale abductions.

Emergence of Involvement

The role of these mercenaries initially emerged in 2024, after an inquiry which found that more than 300 former soldiers had been contracted to participate in the war – an discovery that led to an unusual statement of regret from Colombia’s foreign ministry.

These South American veterans have widely regarded as some of the most in-demand contractors globally due to their considerable warzone knowledge resulting from years of internal conflict, training on advanced weaponry, and superior tactical education.

Reported Actions

In the conflict, the mercenaries have reportedly trained underage fighters, provided drone warfare training, and engaged in frontline combat. A mercenary was quoted as saying that working with child soldiers was "awful and crazy" but added that "unfortunately that’s how war is".

Targeted Persons

Among those penalized was a retired Colombian officer, a dual Colombian-Italian national and retired Colombian military officer operating from the United Arab Emirates. The government said he had a key part in recruiting and deploying ex-military personnel to Sudan. His wife, Claudia Oliveros, was also sanctioned.

Also on the penalty list was Duque Botero, a dual Colombian-Spanish citizen who the Treasury stated managed a business accused of processing money and salaries for the recruitment operation. "In 2024 and 2025, companies in the United States linked to Duque engaged in numerous wire transfers, totalling millions of US dollars," the official announcement noted.

Colombian national Mónica Muñoz was the final person to be targeted, with the company she managed accused of financial transactions linked to Duque and his operations.

"The US once more urges foreign parties to cease providing funding and arms to the belligerents," the department said in a statement.

Expert Analysis

Elizabeth Dickinson, from a conflict think tank, called the measures as a "very significant" step, stating that "identifying the recruiters is the proper strategy".

She added that, Bogotá recently passed a statute endorsing the International Convention Against the Recruitment and Use of Mercenaries, aiming to curb years of participation by its nationals in overseas wars and reshape domestic defense strategy.

Another expert, a scholar on the subject, called for greater wariness, stating that "penalties are required yet incomplete for combating rampant mercenarism".

"It operates in the black market and operating from Dubai, which is largely insulated from sanctions," he commented. The United Arab Emirates has been repeatedly implicated of arming the RSF, allegations it disputes. "Expect more Colombian mercenaries," the expert cautioned.