🔗 Share this article

The US government has enforced penalties on a operation of four individuals and four companies charged of recruiting South American contractors to combat alongside and instruct a armed faction in Sudan which the US alleges of genocidal acts.

Group Makeup

Announcing the sanctions on this week, the American treasury stated the operation was largely composed of Colombian citizens and firms.

Hundreds of former Colombian military personnel have reportedly travelled to the Sudanese warzone to fight alongside the Sudanese RSF militia, a group linked to horrific war crimes including ethnically targeted slaughter and large-scale abductions.

Discovery of Participation

The involvement of Colombian fighters initially emerged in 2024, following an inquiry which disclosed that over three hundred retired troops had been hired to fight – an revelation that resulted in an unprecedented apology from Colombia’s foreign ministry.

Colombian ex-soldiers have widely regarded as among the world’s most sought-after mercenaries due to their considerable warzone knowledge acquired during decades of civil war, knowledge of Nato equipment, and superior tactical education.

Activities in Sudan

In Sudan, the contractors have been accused of teaching underage fighters, instructed militiamen in drone operation, and fought directly on the frontlines. An individual involved was quoted as saying that training children was "terrible and insane" but commented that "sadly, that is the nature of conflict".

Targeted Persons

Among those targeted was a retired Colombian officer, a individual with dual citizenship and former army officer operating from the UAE. The US authorities accused him a key part in enlisting and transporting mercenaries to Sudan. His wife, Claudia Oliveros, was penalized as well.

Also on the penalty list was Mateo Andrés Duque Botero, a dual Colombian-Spanish citizen who the Treasury stated oversaw a company linked to managing finances and payments for the scheme. "Over the past two years, companies in the United States connected to Duque carried out numerous wire transfers, totalling millions of US dollars," the Treasury statement noted.

Colombian national Mónica Muñoz Ucros was the other individual to be penalized, with the company she managed accused of money transfers associated with Duque and his companies.

"The US once more urges external actors to halt the flow of financial and military support to the combatants," the department stated.

Analyst Commentary

Elizabeth Dickinson, senior analyst at the International Crisis Group, called the sanctions as a "very significant" development, stating that "identifying the recruiters is the correct approach".

Furthermore, Bogotá has enacted a statute endorsing the anti-mercenary convention, aiming to curb years of participation by its nationals in overseas wars and reshape national security policy.

A mercenary specialist, an expert on mercenaries, called for greater wariness, stating that "sanctions are necessary but insufficient for combating widespread use of contractors".

"This is a shadow economy and based out of the UAE, which is relatively sanction-proof," he said. The UAE has been repeatedly implicated of providing arms to the militia, an accusation it has denied. "This trend will probably continue," he advised.