United States Enforces Restrictions on Operation Accused of Recruiting Colombian Contractors to Sudan.

The US government has enforced penalties on a group of four people and four firms accused of enlisting Colombian mercenaries to fight for and train a armed faction in Sudan that Washington accuses of genocidal acts.

Group Makeup

Revealing the measures on Tuesday, the American treasury stated the scheme was mostly comprised of Colombian nationals and companies.

Scores of ex-soldiers from Colombia have been recruited to go to the conflict in Sudan to fight alongside the Sudanese RSF militia, a group accused of horrific war crimes such as targeted ethnic killings and widespread kidnappings.

Revelation of Role

The role of these mercenaries first came to light in 2024, after an investigation which revealed that hundreds of retired troops had been hired to engage in combat – an revelation that resulted in an unprecedented apology from Colombia’s foreign ministry.

Colombian ex-soldiers have historically been seen as some of the most in-demand contractors globally due to their extensive battlefield experience gleaned from decades of civil war, knowledge of Western military gear, and high-level combat training.

Activities in Sudan

In the conflict, the contractors have reportedly trained child soldiers, provided drone warfare training, and fought directly on the frontlines. A mercenary previously stated that working with child soldiers was "horrific and irrational" but noted that "unfortunately that’s how war is".

Named Entities

Among those targeted was a retired Colombian officer, a citizen of both Colombia and Italy and ex-soldier operating from the Dubai. The US authorities alleged he played a key part in enlisting and transporting ex-military personnel to Sudan. His spouse, Claudia Oliveros, was penalized as well.

Also on the restricted list was Duque Botero, a individual with Colombian and Spanish citizenship who officials alleged oversaw a company linked to processing money and salaries for the scheme. "Recently, US-based firms connected to Duque carried out several money transfers, totalling millions of US dollars," the official announcement stated.

Citizen of Colombia Mónica Muñoz was the final person to be targeted, with the entity she oversaw alleged to have money transfers linked to Duque and his operations.

"The United States again calls on foreign parties to halt the flow of financial and military support to the combatants," the department announced.

Expert Analysis

A senior analyst, from a conflict think tank, labeled the measures as a "major" development, noting that "targeting the enablers is the right way to go".

Furthermore, the Colombian government recently passed a law ratifying the International Convention Against the Recruitment and Use of Mercenaries, seeking to reduce decades of Colombian involvement in international fights and change its security approach.

Another expert, a scholar on the subject, called for greater wariness, noting that "restrictions are needed but not enough for addressing widespread use of contractors".

"It operates in the black market and based out of the Emirates, which is difficult to penalize," he commented. The Emirati government has been repeatedly implicated of supplying weapons to the paramilitary group, allegations it disputes. "More contractors from Colombia are likely," McFate warned.