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The Washington has imposed sanctions on a operation of several persons and entities charged of recruiting South American contractors to fight for and train a Sudanese paramilitary group that Washington accuses of committing genocide.

Network Composition

Announcing the sanctions on Tuesday, the Treasury stated the network was primarily made up of Colombian citizens and firms.

Scores of former Colombian military personnel have been recruited to go to Sudan to operate with the RSF paramilitary group, a faction accused of terrible atrocities including ethnically targeted slaughter and widespread kidnappings.

Emergence of Involvement

The involvement of Colombian fighters first came to light in 2024, prompted by an investigation which found that over three hundred retired troops had been hired to participate in the war – an revelation that led to an unusual statement of regret from the Colombian government.

These South American veterans have widely regarded as highly prized fighters in conflict zones due to their vast combat experience gleaned from years of internal conflict, knowledge of advanced weaponry, and elite military instruction.

Activities in Sudan

In the conflict, the Colombians have been accused of teaching minors, taught fighters to pilot drones, and engaged in frontline combat. An individual involved remarked that training children was "horrific and irrational" but added that "unfortunately that’s how war is".

Targeted Persons

Among those penalized was a retired Colombian officer, a citizen of both Colombia and Italy and former army officer located in the United Arab Emirates. The US authorities accused him a pivotal function in recruiting and deploying former Colombian soldiers to Sudan. His wife, Claudia Viviana Oliveros Forero, was similarly targeted.

Also on the restricted list was Mateo Andrés Duque Botero, a individual with Colombian and Spanish citizenship who officials alleged oversaw a company accused of handling funds and payroll for the scheme. "Recently, companies in the United States associated with Duque carried out multiple financial transactions, totalling millions of US dollars," the Treasury statement stated.

Citizen of Colombia Mónica Muñoz was the fourth individual to be sanctioned, with the entity she oversaw accused of money transfers associated with Duque and his operations.

"Washington reiterates its demand for external actors to halt the flow of monetary and weaponry aid to the warring parties," the department said in a statement.

Expert Analysis

An expert, with the International Crisis Group, labeled the measures as a "major" step, saying that "targeting the enablers is the proper strategy".

She added that, the Colombian government recently passed a piece of legislation approving the anti-mercenary convention, designed to limit years of participation by its nationals in international fights and transform national security policy.

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 operating from the Emirates, which is relatively sanction-proof," he commented. The UAE has been repeatedly implicated of providing arms to the militia, allegations it disputes. "More contractors from Colombia are likely," he advised.