🔗 Share this article

The Washington has imposed sanctions on a group of four people and four firms accused of recruiting South American contractors to support and educate a Sudanese paramilitary group that Washington accuses of acts of genocide.

Network Composition

Revealing the measures on this week, the American treasury stated the operation was mostly comprised of Colombian citizens and firms.

Scores of ex-soldiers from Colombia have been recruited to go to the conflict in Sudan to operate with the RSF paramilitary group, a group accused of severe violations such as massacres based on ethnicity and large-scale abductions.

Discovery of Participation

The role of these mercenaries was first uncovered in 2024, after an investigation which found that more than 300 ex-military personnel had been recruited to participate in the war – an event that led to an unprecedented apology from Colombia’s foreign ministry.

These South American veterans have historically been seen as some of the most in-demand contractors globally due to their extensive battlefield experience resulting from decades of civil war, knowledge of Western military gear, and superior tactical education.

Role in the Conflict

In the Sudanese theater, the mercenaries have reportedly trained underage fighters, provided drone warfare training, and participated in direct battles. An individual involved previously stated that instructing minors was "terrible and insane" but noted that "regrettably, war operates that way".

Targeted Persons

Among those penalized was a dual national, a individual with dual citizenship and former army officer based in the UAE. The US authorities accused him a central role in enlisting and transporting ex-military personnel to Sudan. His spouse, Claudia Viviana Oliveros Forero, was also sanctioned.

Also on the restricted list was Mateo Duque Botero, a dual national who the Treasury stated oversaw a company implicated in managing finances and payments for the recruitment operation. "In 2024 and 2025, US-based firms connected to Duque engaged in numerous wire transfers, amounting to millions," the Treasury statement said.

Individual Mónica Muñoz was the fourth individual to be sanctioned, with the company she managed said to have conducted financial transactions linked to Duque and his companies.

"Washington reiterates its demand for external actors to halt the flow of financial and military support to the combatants," the agency announced.

Analyst Commentary

Elizabeth Dickinson, with the International Crisis Group, called the actions as a "highly important" milestone, noting that "identifying the recruiters is the correct approach".

Furthermore, Colombia ratified a law approving the International Convention Against the Recruitment and Use of Mercenaries, seeking to reduce decades of Colombian involvement in international fights and reshape domestic defense strategy.

Sean McFate, a authority on private military contractors, advised additional measures, stating that "penalties are required yet incomplete for dealing with widespread use of contractors".

"It operates in the black market and centered in Dubai, which is difficult to penalize," he said. The Emirati government has been widely accused of providing arms to the militia, claims it rejects. "More contractors from Colombia are likely," the expert cautioned.