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The United States has levied restrictions on a network of four people and four firms accused of recruiting South American contractors to combat alongside and instruct a armed faction in Sudan that Washington accuses of genocidal acts.

Operation Structure

Revealing the restrictions on this week, the US Treasury Department stated the scheme was largely composed of Colombian citizens and firms.

Scores of former Colombian military personnel have reportedly travelled to the Sudanese warzone to combat beside the Sudanese RSF militia, a faction implicated in horrific war crimes encompassing targeted ethnic killings and large-scale abductions.

Discovery of Participation

The role of these mercenaries was first uncovered last year, following an report which revealed that hundreds of former soldiers had been contracted to participate in the war – an discovery that prompted an unprecedented apology 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 resulting from a long-running domestic war, familiarity with Western military gear, and high-level combat training.

Reported Actions

In Sudan, the mercenaries have reportedly trained minors, taught fighters to pilot drones, and participated in direct battles. A mercenary was quoted as saying that working with child soldiers was "awful and crazy" but noted that "unfortunately that’s how war is".

Sanctioned Individuals

Among those penalized was a retired Colombian officer, a citizen of both Colombia and Italy and former army officer operating from the Dubai. The government alleged he played a pivotal function in enlisting and transporting former Colombian soldiers to Sudan. His spouse, Claudia Viviana Oliveros Forero, was similarly targeted.

Also on the restricted list was Duque Botero, a dual Colombian-Spanish citizen who officials alleged ran a firm linked to managing finances and payments for the scheme. "In 2024 and 2025, American entities associated with Duque engaged in numerous wire transfers, amounting to millions," the government release stated.

Individual Mónica Muñoz Ucros was the fourth individual to be penalized, with the company she managed alleged to have money transfers connected to Duque and his companies.

"The United States again calls on external actors to stop giving financial and military support to the combatants," the department announced.

Analyst Commentary

A senior analyst, with the International Crisis Group, called the actions as a "very significant" step, saying that "calling out those who are doing the contracting is the right way to go".

She added that, the Colombian government has enacted a law approving the International Convention Against the Recruitment and Use of Mercenaries, designed to limit its citizens' long history in overseas wars and reshape its security approach.

Sean McFate, a authority on private military contractors, called for greater wariness, stating that "restrictions are needed but not enough for addressing rampant mercenarism".

"This is a shadow economy and based out of Dubai, which is largely insulated from sanctions," he said. The UAE has been widely accused of providing arms to the militia, claims it rejects. "This trend will probably continue," he advised.