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The US government has enforced penalties on a network of four people and four firms charged of recruiting South American contractors to support and educate a Sudanese paramilitary group which the US alleges of committing genocide.

Operation Structure

Revealing the restrictions on this week, the US Treasury Department stated the operation was mostly comprised of Colombian nationals and companies.

Numerous of retired Colombian troops have allegedly journeyed to Sudan to fight alongside the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a group implicated in severe violations including ethnically targeted slaughter and mass abductions.

Revelation of Role

The role of these mercenaries first came to light last year, after an inquiry which disclosed that over three hundred ex-military personnel had been contracted to engage in combat – an discovery that led to an unusual statement of regret from Colombia’s foreign ministry.

These South American veterans have long been considered as highly prized fighters in conflict zones due to their vast combat experience gleaned from years of internal conflict, familiarity with advanced weaponry, and superior tactical education.

Activities in Sudan

In the conflict, the Colombians have reportedly trained child soldiers, taught fighters to pilot drones, and fought directly on the frontlines. An individual involved remarked that working with child soldiers was "horrific and irrational" but noted that "regrettably, war operates that way".

Sanctioned Individuals

Among those targeted was a retired Colombian officer, a citizen of both Colombia and Italy and former army officer located in the United Arab Emirates. The government alleged he played a key part in hiring and sending mercenaries to Sudan. His wife, Claudia Viviana Oliveros Forero, was penalized as well.

Also on the restricted list was Duque Botero, a dual national who officials alleged managed a business accused of managing finances and payments for the scheme. "In 2024 and 2025, companies in the United States associated with Duque engaged in numerous wire transfers, totalling millions of US dollars," the Treasury statement said.

Colombian national Mónica Muñoz Ucros was the fourth individual to be sanctioned, with the firm she operated said to have conducted money transfers associated with Duque and his businesses.

"The US once more urges foreign parties to halt the flow of funding and arms to the combatants," the Treasury stated.

Expert Analysis

Elizabeth Dickinson, from a conflict think tank, called the sanctions as a "very significant" step, saying that "calling out those who are doing the contracting is the correct approach".

She added that, Bogotá has enacted a piece of legislation approving the International Convention Against the Recruitment and Use of Mercenaries, seeking to reduce decades of Colombian involvement in foreign conflicts and change domestic defense strategy.

A mercenary specialist, a scholar on the subject, called for greater wariness, stating that "penalties are required yet incomplete for combating widespread use of contractors".

"It operates in the black market and centered in the Emirates, which is difficult to penalize," he stated. The United Arab Emirates has been widely accused of arming the RSF, claims it rejects. "This trend will probably continue," the expert cautioned.