🔗 Share this article

The US government has imposed sanctions on a network of four individuals and four companies charged of hiring South American contractors to support and educate a militia force in Sudan that Washington accuses of committing genocide.

Network Composition

Revealing the sanctions on this week, the American treasury stated the network was mostly comprised of Colombian nationals and companies.

Scores of former Colombian military personnel have reportedly travelled to the conflict in Sudan to operate with the RSF paramilitary group, a force linked to horrific war crimes such as ethnically targeted slaughter and mass abductions.

Discovery of Participation

The role of these mercenaries was first uncovered the previous year, after an report which found that hundreds of ex-military personnel had been contracted to participate in the war – an event that prompted an rare mea culpa from officials in Bogotá.

Former Colombian military have long been considered as highly prized fighters in conflict zones due to their extensive battlefield experience resulting from years of internal conflict, knowledge of Nato equipment, and elite military instruction.

Role in the Conflict

In the conflict, the Colombians have reportedly trained minors, taught fighters to pilot drones, and fought directly on the frontlines. One source previously stated that instructing minors 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 former army officer located in the UAE. The Treasury accused him a key part in recruiting and deploying mercenaries to Sudan. His spouse, Claudia Oliveros, was penalized as well.

Also on the sanctions list was Mateo Andrés Duque Botero, a dual national who authorities say managed a business implicated in managing finances and payments for the recruitment operation. "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 stated.

Colombian national Mónica Muñoz Ucros was the final person to be penalized, with the firm she operated alleged to have wire transfers connected to Duque and his companies.

"Washington reiterates its demand for foreign parties to cease providing monetary and weaponry aid to the combatants," the department said in a statement.

Reaction

An expert, from a conflict think tank, labeled the actions as a "very significant" milestone, saying that "identifying the recruiters is the right way to go".

It was also noted that, Bogotá ratified a statute endorsing the anti-mercenary convention, aiming to curb its citizens' long history in overseas wars and transform national security policy.

A mercenary specialist, a scholar on the subject, advised additional measures, saying that "penalties are required yet incomplete for addressing the growing mercenary trade".

"It operates in the black market and centered in the UAE, which is relatively sanction-proof," he commented. The UAE has been widely accused of supplying weapons to the paramilitary group, allegations it disputes. "More contractors from Colombia are likely," he advised.