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The United States has levied restrictions on a network of several persons and entities alleged of hiring former Colombian soldiers to combat alongside and instruct a militia force in Sudan which the US alleges of acts of genocide.

Network Composition

Announcing the sanctions on Tuesday, the American treasury stated the network was primarily made up of Colombian nationals and companies.

Numerous of retired Colombian troops have allegedly journeyed to the Sudanese warzone to combat beside the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a faction linked to severe violations encompassing targeted ethnic killings and large-scale abductions.

Revelation of Role

The participation of ex-soldiers was first uncovered in 2024, following an investigation which revealed that over three hundred former soldiers had been contracted to participate in the war – an revelation that resulted in an unusual statement of regret from Colombia’s foreign ministry.

Former Colombian military have long been considered as some of the most in-demand contractors globally due to their considerable warzone knowledge gleaned from decades of civil war, training on advanced weaponry, and elite military instruction.

Role in the Conflict

In the Sudanese theater, the Colombians have been accused of teaching child soldiers, taught fighters to pilot drones, and participated in direct battles. One source remarked that training children was "terrible and insane" but added that "sadly, that is the nature of conflict".

Named Entities

Among those sanctioned was a retired Colombian officer, a individual with dual citizenship and ex-soldier located in the Dubai. The government said he had a pivotal function in recruiting and deploying former Colombian soldiers to Sudan. His wife, Claudia Viviana Oliveros Forero, was also sanctioned.

Also on the restricted list was Duque Botero, a dual national who officials alleged oversaw a company linked to handling funds and payroll for the scheme. "Over the past two years, American entities connected to Duque engaged in multiple financial transactions, amounting to millions," the Treasury statement stated.

Colombian national Mónica Muñoz Ucros was the fourth individual to be targeted, with the company she managed alleged to have wire transfers linked to Duque and his businesses.

"The US once more urges external actors to stop giving monetary and weaponry aid to the belligerents," the department announced.

Reaction

Elizabeth Dickinson, from a conflict think tank, described the actions as a "major" milestone, stating that "targeting the enablers is the correct approach".

Furthermore, Bogotá recently passed a law endorsing the global treaty against mercenarism, aiming to curb decades of Colombian involvement in international fights and transform national security policy.

Another expert, a authority on private military contractors, advised additional measures, saying that "penalties are required yet incomplete for addressing widespread use of contractors".

"It operates in the black market and operating from the UAE, which is relatively sanction-proof," he stated. The UAE has been repeatedly implicated of arming the RSF, claims it rejects. "This trend will probably continue," he advised.