🔗 Share this article

The United States has imposed sanctions on a network of several persons and entities charged of enlisting South American contractors to combat alongside and instruct a militia force in Sudan the United States claims of committing genocide.

Operation Structure

Announcing the sanctions on this week, the US Treasury Department stated the scheme was largely composed of Colombian citizens and firms.

Scores of ex-soldiers from Colombia have reportedly travelled to the conflict in Sudan to combat beside the Sudanese RSF militia, a group accused of severe violations such as massacres based on ethnicity and large-scale abductions.

Discovery of Participation

The involvement of Colombian fighters initially emerged in 2024, prompted by an investigation which disclosed that hundreds of retired troops had been recruited to participate in the war – an event that led to an unprecedented apology from officials in Bogotá.

Colombian ex-soldiers have widely regarded as some of the most in-demand contractors globally due to their vast combat experience acquired during decades of civil war, knowledge of Western military gear, and superior tactical education.

Role in the Conflict

In the conflict, the Colombians have been accused of teaching underage fighters, provided drone warfare training, and engaged in frontline combat. One source remarked that working with child soldiers was "horrific and irrational" but added that "sadly, that is the nature of conflict".

Named Entities

Among those targeted was a retired Colombian officer, a individual with dual citizenship and former army officer located in the United Arab Emirates. The US authorities said he had a central role in hiring and sending mercenaries to Sudan. His spouse, Claudia Oliveros, was also sanctioned.

Also on the sanctions list was Mateo Andrés Duque Botero, a dual national who officials alleged managed a business accused of handling funds and payroll for the network. "In 2024 and 2025, US-based firms associated with Duque engaged in multiple financial transactions, amounting to millions," the official announcement said.

Citizen of Colombia Mónica Muñoz Ucros was the final person to be targeted, with the entity she oversaw alleged to have wire transfers linked to Duque and his operations.

"The US once more urges foreign parties to cease providing funding and arms to the warring parties," the agency said in a statement.

Reaction

An expert, from a conflict think tank, called the measures as a "very significant" milestone, stating that "targeting the enablers is the right way to go".

She added that, Colombia has enacted a statute endorsing the global treaty against mercenarism, aiming to curb its citizens' long history in international fights and reshape national security policy.

A mercenary specialist, a scholar on the subject, advised additional measures, stating that "sanctions are necessary but insufficient for dealing with widespread use of contractors".

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