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The Washington has imposed sanctions on a group of four individuals and four companies accused of hiring Colombian mercenaries to fight for and train a armed faction in Sudan that Washington accuses of genocidal acts.

Group Makeup

Announcing the sanctions on Tuesday, the US Treasury Department stated the scheme was largely composed of individuals and businesses from Colombia.

Scores of former Colombian military personnel have reportedly travelled to Sudan to combat beside the RSF paramilitary group, a group implicated in severe violations including ethnically targeted slaughter and large-scale abductions.

Discovery of Participation

The participation of ex-soldiers first came to light last year, prompted by an inquiry which disclosed that more than 300 former soldiers had been contracted to fight – an event that prompted an unusual statement of regret from Colombia’s foreign ministry.

Colombian ex-soldiers have long been considered as among the world’s most sought-after mercenaries due to their extensive battlefield experience acquired during decades of civil war, training on Nato equipment, and superior tactical education.

Reported Actions

In Sudan, the contractors have allegedly instructed minors, instructed militiamen in drone operation, and engaged in frontline combat. An individual involved was quoted as saying that instructing minors was "terrible and insane" but commented that "sadly, that is the nature of conflict".

Targeted Persons

Among those targeted was a dual national, a individual with dual citizenship and former army officer located in the Dubai. The government said he had a key part in hiring and sending former Colombian soldiers to Sudan. His wife, Claudia Viviana Oliveros Forero, was similarly targeted.

Also on the sanctions list was Duque Botero, a dual national who officials alleged oversaw a company implicated in managing finances and payments for the scheme. "In 2024 and 2025, US-based firms linked to Duque carried out several money transfers, worth millions," the Treasury statement noted.

Citizen of Colombia Mónica Muñoz was the other individual to be targeted, with the firm she operated alleged to have wire transfers linked to Duque and his businesses.

"The US once more urges outside forces to cease providing financial and military support to the warring parties," the agency announced.

Expert Analysis

Elizabeth Dickinson, senior analyst at the International Crisis Group, called the sanctions as a "very significant" development, stating that "targeting the enablers is the correct approach".

Furthermore, the Colombian government has enacted a piece of legislation approving the global treaty against mercenarism, aiming to curb decades of Colombian involvement in international fights and reshape its security approach.

Another expert, a scholar on the subject, urged more caution, saying that "penalties are required yet incomplete for addressing the growing mercenary trade".

"This is a shadow economy and centered in the UAE, which is largely insulated from sanctions," he stated. The Emirati government has been frequently alleged of supplying weapons to the paramilitary group, claims it rejects. "This trend will probably continue," the expert cautioned.