🔗 Share this article

The US government has enforced penalties on a operation of several persons and entities charged of recruiting Colombian mercenaries to combat alongside and instruct a armed faction in Sudan which the US alleges of committing genocide.

Network Composition

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

Numerous of ex-soldiers from Colombia have reportedly travelled to the conflict in Sudan to fight alongside the Sudanese RSF militia, a force accused of horrific war crimes including targeted ethnic killings and large-scale abductions.

Revelation of Role

The role of these mercenaries was first uncovered the previous year, following an investigation which disclosed that over three hundred former soldiers had been recruited to engage in combat – an event that prompted an unprecedented apology from the Colombian government.

These South American veterans have long been considered as some of the most in-demand contractors globally due to their vast combat experience gleaned from decades of civil war, knowledge of Nato equipment, and elite military instruction.

Reported Actions

In the conflict, the Colombians have reportedly trained child soldiers, instructed militiamen in drone operation, and participated in direct battles. An individual involved previously stated that instructing minors was "awful and crazy" but noted that "unfortunately that’s how war is".

Sanctioned Individuals

Among those sanctioned was a dual national, a dual Colombian-Italian national and retired Colombian military officer based in the United Arab Emirates. The government alleged he played a key part in enlisting and transporting mercenaries to Sudan. His wife, Claudia Oliveros, was penalized as well.

Also on the penalty list was Mateo Andrés Duque Botero, a individual with Colombian and Spanish citizenship who the Treasury stated oversaw a company accused of processing money and salaries for the recruitment operation. "In 2024 and 2025, American entities associated with Duque engaged in numerous wire transfers, totalling millions of US dollars," the official announcement stated.

Citizen of Colombia Mónica Muñoz Ucros was the final person to be targeted, with the firm she operated accused of money transfers linked to Duque and his operations.

"The United States again calls on external actors to stop giving monetary and weaponry aid to the warring parties," the agency stated.

Expert Analysis

Elizabeth Dickinson, from a conflict think tank, labeled the sanctions as a "very significant" development, noting that "targeting the enablers is the correct approach".

It was also noted that, Bogotá recently passed a law ratifying the International Convention Against the Recruitment and Use of Mercenaries, designed to limit its citizens' long history in overseas wars and change domestic defense strategy.

A mercenary specialist, an expert on mercenaries, called for greater wariness, saying that "restrictions are needed but not enough for combating rampant mercenarism".

"It’s an illicit economy and centered in the Emirates, which is largely insulated from sanctions," he commented. The United Arab Emirates has been repeatedly implicated of providing arms to the militia, an accusation it has denied. "This trend will probably continue," the expert cautioned.