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The Washington has enforced penalties on a operation of four people and four firms alleged of recruiting Colombian mercenaries to fight for and train a militia force in Sudan the United States claims of committing genocide.

Group Makeup

Revealing the measures on Tuesday, the American treasury stated the operation was primarily made up of Colombian nationals and companies.

Hundreds of ex-soldiers from Colombia have reportedly travelled to the conflict in Sudan to fight alongside the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a group accused of severe violations including massacres based on ethnicity and mass abductions.

Emergence of Involvement

The participation of ex-soldiers initially emerged in 2024, after an investigation which found that hundreds of retired troops had been hired to engage in combat – an event that led to an unprecedented apology from Colombia’s foreign ministry.

Former Colombian military have historically been seen as some of the most in-demand contractors globally due to their considerable warzone knowledge gleaned from a long-running domestic war, familiarity with Nato equipment, and elite military instruction.

Reported Actions

In Sudan, the Colombians have been accused of teaching child soldiers, provided drone warfare training, and engaged in frontline combat. An individual involved previously stated that working with child soldiers was "terrible and insane" but added that "unfortunately that’s how war is".

Sanctioned Individuals

Among those sanctioned was a retired Colombian officer, a dual Colombian-Italian national and former army officer operating from the UAE. The Treasury said he had a pivotal function in hiring and sending ex-military personnel to Sudan. His spouse, Claudia Viviana Oliveros Forero, was also sanctioned.

Also on the penalty list was Mateo Andrés Duque Botero, a dual national who authorities say managed a business implicated in processing money and salaries for the network. "In 2024 and 2025, American entities linked to Duque conducted multiple financial transactions, totalling millions of US dollars," the Treasury statement stated.

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

"Washington reiterates its demand for outside forces to cease providing monetary and weaponry aid to the combatants," the department stated.

Analyst Commentary

Elizabeth Dickinson, senior analyst at the International Crisis Group, labeled the actions as a "highly important" step, saying that "calling out those who are doing the contracting is the right way to go".

She added that, Colombia has enacted a statute ratifying the global treaty against mercenarism, aiming to curb its citizens' long history in foreign conflicts and reshape its security approach.

Another expert, a authority on private military contractors, urged more caution, stating that "sanctions are necessary but insufficient for addressing widespread use of contractors".

"It’s an illicit economy and centered in the UAE, which is largely insulated from sanctions," he commented. The United Arab Emirates has been repeatedly implicated of arming the RSF, allegations it disputes. "This trend will probably continue," the expert cautioned.