US Imposes Sanctions on Group Accused of Recruiting Colombian Fighters to the Sudanese Conflict.

The US government has enforced penalties on a operation of several persons and entities accused of enlisting former Colombian soldiers to combat alongside and instruct a Sudanese paramilitary group the United States claims of committing genocide.

Operation Structure

Disclosing the measures on this week, the US Treasury Department stated the network was primarily made up of individuals and businesses from Colombia.

Hundreds of former Colombian military personnel have been recruited to go to the Sudanese warzone to combat beside the RSF paramilitary group, a group linked to severe violations such as targeted ethnic killings and mass abductions.

Discovery of Participation

The involvement of Colombian fighters was first uncovered in 2024, following an investigation which revealed that hundreds of retired troops had been recruited to engage in combat – an revelation that prompted an unusual statement of regret from Colombia’s foreign ministry.

Former Colombian military have widely regarded as among the world’s most sought-after mercenaries due to their vast combat experience gleaned from years of internal conflict, knowledge of Nato equipment, and high-level combat training.

Role in the Conflict

In the Sudanese theater, the contractors have reportedly trained underage fighters, taught fighters to pilot drones, and fought directly on the frontlines. A mercenary was quoted as saying that training children was "horrific and irrational" but added that "sadly, that is the nature of conflict".

Targeted Persons

Among those targeted was a retired Colombian officer, a citizen of both Colombia and Italy and retired Colombian military officer operating from the Dubai. The government said he had a central role in recruiting and deploying former Colombian soldiers to Sudan. His spouse, Claudia Viviana Oliveros Forero, was penalized as well.

Also on the sanctions list was Mateo Andrés Duque Botero, a dual Colombian-Spanish citizen who officials alleged managed a business implicated in managing finances and payments for the network. "In 2024 and 2025, companies in the United States associated with Duque carried out several money transfers, totalling millions of US dollars," the Treasury statement noted.

Colombian national Mónica Muñoz was the other individual to be sanctioned, with the company she managed said to have conducted wire transfers connected to Duque and his operations.

"The United States again calls on foreign parties to halt the flow of monetary and weaponry aid to the combatants," the agency said in a statement.

Reaction

Elizabeth Dickinson, with the International Crisis Group, called the actions as a "very significant" milestone, stating that "calling out those who are doing the contracting is the correct approach".

Furthermore, Colombia recently passed a statute endorsing the anti-mercenary convention, aiming to curb its citizens' long history in overseas wars and reshape national security policy.

Sean McFate, a authority on private military contractors, advised additional measures, saying that "sanctions are necessary but insufficient for dealing with rampant mercenarism".

"This is a shadow economy and centered in Dubai, which is relatively sanction-proof," he commented. The UAE has been frequently alleged of arming the RSF, claims it rejects. "More contractors from Colombia are likely," the expert cautioned.