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The Washington has enforced penalties on a group of four individuals and four companies accused of hiring South American contractors to support and educate a armed faction in Sudan that Washington accuses of genocidal acts.

Group Makeup

Revealing the measures on Tuesday, the Treasury stated the scheme was largely composed of Colombian nationals and companies.

Hundreds of retired Colombian troops have been recruited to go to the conflict in Sudan to combat beside the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a force accused of severe violations encompassing targeted ethnic killings and large-scale abductions.

Revelation of Role

The participation of ex-soldiers was first uncovered last year, prompted by an inquiry which disclosed that more than 300 former soldiers had been hired to participate in the war – an revelation that prompted an rare mea culpa from officials in Bogotá.

Colombian ex-soldiers have long been considered as among the world’s most sought-after mercenaries due to their considerable warzone knowledge acquired during years of internal conflict, familiarity with Nato equipment, and high-level combat training.

Role in the Conflict

In the conflict, the contractors have reportedly trained underage fighters, provided drone warfare training, and participated in direct battles. An individual involved was quoted as saying that training children was "terrible and insane" but added that "unfortunately that’s how war is".

Targeted Persons

Among those targeted was a dual national, a citizen of both Colombia and Italy and retired Colombian military officer located in the UAE. The Treasury accused him a central role in recruiting and deploying ex-military personnel to Sudan. His wife, Claudia Viviana Oliveros Forero, was also sanctioned.

Also on the restricted list was Mateo Andrés Duque Botero, a dual Colombian-Spanish citizen who officials alleged managed a business implicated in managing finances and payments for the network. "In 2024 and 2025, US-based firms linked to Duque conducted multiple financial transactions, totalling millions of US dollars," the government release said.

Individual Mónica Muñoz was the other individual to be targeted, with the firm she operated alleged to have financial transactions associated with Duque and his companies.

"The United States again calls on outside forces to halt the flow of funding and arms to the combatants," the Treasury stated.

Reaction

An expert, with the International Crisis Group, labeled the measures as a "highly important" step, noting that "calling out those who are doing the contracting is the proper strategy".

It was also noted that, the Colombian government recently passed a statute approving the International Convention Against the Recruitment and Use of Mercenaries, aiming to curb its citizens' long history in foreign conflicts and reshape national security policy.

Sean McFate, an expert on mercenaries, called for greater wariness, noting that "sanctions are necessary but insufficient for addressing widespread use of contractors".

"It operates in the black market and based out of the UAE, which is difficult to penalize," he commented. The Emirati government has been widely accused of arming the RSF, allegations it disputes. "Expect more Colombian mercenaries," the expert cautioned.