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The United States has enforced penalties on a network of several persons and entities accused of recruiting former Colombian soldiers to combat alongside and instruct a militia force in Sudan the United States claims of committing genocide.

Operation Structure

Revealing the measures on Tuesday, the US Treasury Department stated the operation was primarily made up of Colombian nationals and companies.

Scores of retired Colombian troops have been recruited to go to the conflict in Sudan to fight alongside the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a force linked to terrible atrocities encompassing ethnically targeted slaughter and widespread kidnappings.

Emergence of Involvement

The participation of ex-soldiers initially emerged in 2024, prompted by an report which revealed that more than 300 retired troops had been contracted to participate in the war – an discovery that resulted in an unprecedented apology from the Colombian government.

Colombian ex-soldiers have historically been seen as highly prized fighters in conflict zones due to their vast combat experience resulting from a long-running domestic war, training on advanced weaponry, and superior tactical education.

Reported Actions

In the Sudanese theater, the contractors have reportedly trained child soldiers, provided drone warfare training, and participated in direct battles. An individual involved was quoted as saying that training children was "awful and crazy" but commented that "unfortunately that’s how war is".

Targeted Persons

Among those penalized was a dual national, a citizen of both Colombia and Italy and ex-soldier operating from the UAE. The government alleged he played a key part in enlisting and transporting former Colombian soldiers to Sudan. His wife, Claudia Viviana Oliveros Forero, was also sanctioned.

Also on the penalty list was Duque Botero, a dual national who the Treasury stated ran a firm accused of managing finances and payments for the network. "In 2024 and 2025, American entities connected to Duque carried out numerous wire transfers, amounting to millions," the official announcement stated.

Individual Mónica Muñoz was the other individual to be penalized, with the company she managed alleged to have money transfers connected to Duque and his operations.

"The United States again calls on foreign parties to cease providing monetary and weaponry aid to the belligerents," the department said in a statement.

Reaction

Elizabeth Dickinson, senior analyst at the International Crisis Group, described the measures as a "major" development, stating that "targeting the enablers is the proper strategy".

She added that, the Colombian government recently passed a law endorsing the International Convention Against the Recruitment and Use of Mercenaries, designed to limit decades of Colombian involvement in foreign conflicts and transform national security policy.

A mercenary specialist, a authority on private military contractors, advised additional measures, stating that "sanctions are necessary but insufficient for addressing the growing mercenary trade".

"It’s an illicit economy and based out of the Emirates, which is largely insulated from sanctions," he said. The United Arab Emirates has been frequently alleged of providing arms to the militia, claims it rejects. "More contractors from Colombia are likely," the expert cautioned.