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The Washington has enforced penalties on a operation of four individuals and four companies accused of hiring South American contractors to support and educate a militia force in Sudan which the US alleges of committing genocide.

Network Composition

Revealing the measures on this week, the Treasury stated the network was largely composed of Colombian nationals and companies.

Hundreds of former Colombian military personnel have been recruited to go to the Sudanese warzone to fight alongside the Sudanese RSF militia, a faction accused of terrible atrocities encompassing ethnically targeted slaughter and large-scale abductions.

Emergence of Involvement

The role of these mercenaries first came to light the previous year, after an report which found that over three hundred former soldiers had been recruited to engage in combat – an discovery that prompted an unprecedented apology from the Colombian government.

These South American veterans have widely regarded as among the world’s most sought-after mercenaries due to their considerable warzone knowledge resulting from decades of civil war, familiarity with Nato equipment, and high-level combat training.

Reported Actions

In the conflict, the Colombians have been accused of teaching child soldiers, taught fighters to pilot drones, and participated in direct battles. A mercenary previously stated that instructing minors was "terrible and insane" but commented that "regrettably, war operates that way".

Sanctioned Individuals

Among those penalized was a retired Colombian officer, a citizen of both Colombia and Italy and retired Colombian military officer based in the Dubai. The government accused him a key part in recruiting and deploying mercenaries to Sudan. His wife, Claudia Viviana Oliveros Forero, was also sanctioned.

Also on the penalty list was Mateo Duque Botero, a dual national who the Treasury stated managed a business linked to handling funds and payroll for the recruitment operation. "In 2024 and 2025, companies in the United States connected to Duque engaged in multiple financial transactions, amounting to millions," the Treasury statement stated.

Individual Mónica Muñoz was the final person to be targeted, with the company she managed alleged to have financial transactions associated with Duque and his operations.

"Washington reiterates its demand for outside forces to stop giving financial and military support to the combatants," the department announced.

Expert Analysis

An expert, senior analyst at the International Crisis Group, described the measures as a "very significant" development, saying that "targeting the enablers is the correct approach".

She added that, Colombia recently passed a statute approving the global treaty against mercenarism, seeking to reduce decades of Colombian involvement in foreign conflicts and transform domestic defense strategy.

Another expert, a scholar on the subject, called for greater wariness, noting that "penalties are required yet incomplete for addressing the growing mercenary trade".

"It operates in the black market and centered in Dubai, which is relatively sanction-proof," he said. The Emirati government has been repeatedly implicated of providing arms to the militia, allegations it disputes. "Expect more Colombian mercenaries," McFate warned.