🔗 Share this article

The Washington has imposed sanctions on a operation of four individuals and four companies accused of enlisting Colombian mercenaries to combat alongside and instruct a armed faction in Sudan which the US alleges of committing genocide.

Operation Structure

Disclosing the restrictions on this week, the American treasury stated the network was mostly comprised of individuals and businesses from Colombia.

Scores of retired Colombian troops have allegedly journeyed to the Sudanese warzone to combat beside the RSF paramilitary group, a group linked to severe violations including massacres based on ethnicity and mass abductions.

Revelation of Role

The participation of ex-soldiers was first uncovered last year, prompted by an inquiry which disclosed that hundreds of ex-military personnel had been contracted to engage in combat – an event that led to an unusual statement of regret from officials in Bogotá.

Former Colombian military have widely regarded as among the world’s most sought-after mercenaries due to their considerable warzone knowledge acquired during a long-running domestic war, familiarity with Western military gear, and superior tactical education.

Role in the Conflict

In the Sudanese theater, the Colombians have reportedly trained minors, instructed militiamen in drone operation, and engaged in frontline combat. A mercenary remarked that working with child soldiers was "horrific and irrational" but added that "sadly, that is the nature of conflict".

Named Entities

Among those sanctioned was a dual national, a individual with dual citizenship and ex-soldier based in the United Arab Emirates. The government accused him a central role in hiring and sending ex-military personnel to Sudan. His spouse, Claudia Oliveros, was penalized as well.

Also on the penalty list was Mateo Duque Botero, a dual Colombian-Spanish citizen who the Treasury stated ran a firm implicated in handling funds and payroll for the scheme. "In 2024 and 2025, American entities connected to Duque conducted numerous wire transfers, totalling millions of US dollars," the official announcement noted.

Individual Mónica Muñoz was the final person to be sanctioned, with the firm she operated said to have conducted financial transactions associated with Duque and his companies.

"The United States again calls on external actors to cease providing funding and arms to the warring parties," the agency announced.

Reaction

A senior analyst, with the International Crisis Group, described the actions as a "very significant" development, stating that "targeting the enablers is the right way to go".

It was also noted that, Bogotá recently passed a piece of legislation approving the anti-mercenary convention, seeking to reduce its citizens' long history in foreign conflicts and reshape domestic defense strategy.

A mercenary specialist, a scholar on the subject, advised additional measures, saying that "penalties are required yet incomplete for addressing widespread use of contractors".

"This is a shadow economy and based out of the UAE, which is largely insulated from sanctions," he stated. The Emirati government has been widely accused of supplying weapons to the paramilitary group, an accusation it has denied. "Expect more Colombian mercenaries," McFate warned.