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

Group Makeup

Disclosing the measures on Tuesday, the American treasury stated the network was primarily made up of Colombian nationals and companies.

Hundreds of retired Colombian troops have reportedly travelled to the Sudanese warzone to operate with the Sudanese RSF militia, a force implicated in terrible atrocities encompassing targeted ethnic killings and large-scale abductions.

Emergence of Involvement

The role of these mercenaries first came to light in 2024, prompted by an inquiry which revealed that hundreds of ex-military personnel had been recruited to engage in combat – an discovery that prompted an rare mea culpa from officials in Bogotá.

Colombian ex-soldiers have widely regarded as among the world’s most sought-after mercenaries due to their vast combat experience acquired during decades of civil war, familiarity with advanced weaponry, and high-level combat training.

Role in the Conflict

In the Sudanese theater, the mercenaries have reportedly trained minors, provided drone warfare training, and engaged in frontline combat. An individual involved remarked that training children was "awful and crazy" but added that "sadly, that is the nature of conflict".

Targeted Persons

Among those sanctioned was a dual national, a dual Colombian-Italian national and ex-soldier located in the United Arab Emirates. The Treasury alleged he played a central role in enlisting and transporting mercenaries to Sudan. His wife, Claudia Oliveros, was similarly targeted.

Also on the restricted list was Mateo Duque Botero, a dual national who the Treasury stated oversaw a company linked to processing money and salaries for the recruitment operation. "In 2024 and 2025, US-based firms connected to Duque engaged in multiple financial transactions, amounting to millions," the official announcement stated.

Colombian national Mónica Muñoz was the other individual to be sanctioned, with the company she managed accused of financial transactions connected to Duque and his companies.

"Washington reiterates its demand for outside forces to cease providing funding and arms to the warring parties," the agency said in a statement.

Expert Analysis

Elizabeth Dickinson, from a conflict think tank, described the measures as a "highly important" development, saying that "targeting the enablers is the correct approach".

She added that, the Colombian government recently passed a law endorsing the global treaty against mercenarism, designed to limit decades of Colombian involvement in international fights and transform domestic defense strategy.

Sean McFate, a authority on private military contractors, urged more caution, noting that "penalties are required yet incomplete for dealing with the growing mercenary trade".

"This is a shadow economy and centered in the Emirates, which is relatively sanction-proof," he said. The United Arab Emirates has been repeatedly implicated of arming the RSF, claims it rejects. "Expect more Colombian mercenaries," McFate warned.