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The United States has imposed sanctions on a group of four people and four firms alleged of recruiting South American contractors to support and educate a Sudanese paramilitary group the United States claims of committing genocide.

Network Composition

Announcing the restrictions on Tuesday, the Treasury stated the operation was mostly comprised of individuals and businesses from Colombia.

Hundreds of retired Colombian troops have been recruited to go to Sudan to operate with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a faction implicated in horrific war crimes such as massacres based on ethnicity and large-scale abductions.

Revelation of Role

The role of these mercenaries was first uncovered in 2024, prompted by an report which revealed that more than 300 ex-military personnel had been contracted to fight – an event that resulted in an unusual statement of regret from the Colombian government.

These South American veterans have long been considered as some of the most in-demand contractors globally due to their extensive battlefield experience acquired during years of internal conflict, training on Nato equipment, and high-level combat training.

Reported Actions

In the Sudanese theater, the contractors have reportedly trained child soldiers, instructed militiamen in drone operation, and participated in direct battles. One source previously stated that training children was "awful and crazy" but noted that "sadly, that is the nature of conflict".

Named Entities

Among those targeted was a dual national, a citizen of both Colombia and Italy and retired Colombian military officer located in the Dubai. The Treasury accused him a central role in hiring and sending mercenaries to Sudan. His wife, Claudia Viviana Oliveros Forero, was similarly targeted.

Also on the sanctions list was Duque Botero, a dual national who the Treasury stated managed a business linked to processing money and salaries for the recruitment operation. "Over the past two years, US-based firms associated with Duque carried out several money transfers, worth millions," the Treasury statement said.

Colombian national Mónica Muñoz was the other individual to be targeted, with the company she managed said to have conducted financial transactions linked to Duque and his operations.

"Washington reiterates its demand for external actors to cease providing funding and arms to the belligerents," the agency announced.

Expert Analysis

An expert, with the International Crisis Group, described the actions as a "very significant" milestone, noting that "identifying the recruiters is the right way to go".

She added that, the Colombian government recently passed a statute approving the anti-mercenary convention, designed to limit years of participation by its nationals in international fights and transform its security approach.

A mercenary specialist, a authority on private military contractors, called for greater wariness, stating that "penalties are required yet incomplete for dealing with the growing mercenary trade".

"It’s an illicit economy and based out of the Emirates, which is relatively sanction-proof," he stated. The UAE has been repeatedly implicated of supplying weapons to the paramilitary group, allegations it disputes. "More contractors from Colombia are likely," he advised.