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The Washington has imposed sanctions on a group of four individuals and four companies charged of recruiting Colombian mercenaries to support and educate a militia force in Sudan the United States claims of committing genocide.

Group Makeup

Revealing the measures on Tuesday, the Treasury stated the scheme was mostly comprised of Colombian citizens and firms.

Hundreds of retired Colombian troops have been recruited to go to the Sudanese warzone to fight alongside the Sudanese RSF militia, a group accused of terrible atrocities including ethnically targeted slaughter and large-scale abductions.

Discovery of Participation

The involvement of Colombian fighters was first uncovered in 2024, after an investigation which revealed that hundreds of retired troops had been hired to fight – an revelation that resulted in an unprecedented apology from Colombia’s foreign ministry.

Former Colombian military have widely regarded as among the world’s most sought-after mercenaries due to their considerable warzone knowledge acquired during years of internal conflict, knowledge of Nato equipment, and elite military instruction.

Reported Actions

In Sudan, the Colombians have been accused of teaching underage fighters, taught fighters to pilot drones, and engaged in frontline combat. A mercenary previously stated that training children was "terrible and insane" but noted 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 operating from the Dubai. The government alleged he played a central role in hiring and sending ex-military personnel to Sudan. His wife, Claudia Oliveros, was also sanctioned.

Also on the penalty list was Mateo Andrés Duque Botero, a dual Colombian-Spanish citizen who authorities say ran a firm linked to handling funds and payroll for the recruitment operation. "In 2024 and 2025, US-based firms connected to Duque carried out numerous wire transfers, amounting to millions," the official announcement stated.

Citizen of Colombia Mónica Muñoz was the final person to be sanctioned, with the entity she oversaw alleged to have financial transactions associated with Duque and his companies.

"The United States again calls on outside forces to cease providing monetary and weaponry aid to the belligerents," the Treasury said in a statement.

Analyst Commentary

Elizabeth Dickinson, with the International Crisis Group, called the measures as a "highly important" step, saying that "identifying the recruiters is the proper strategy".

It was also noted that, the Colombian government recently passed a law ratifying the International Convention Against the Recruitment and Use of Mercenaries, aiming to curb years of participation by its nationals in overseas wars and change national security policy.

Another expert, a scholar on the subject, advised additional measures, stating that "penalties are required yet incomplete for addressing widespread use of contractors".

"This is a shadow economy and centered in the Emirates, which is difficult to penalize," he stated. The United Arab Emirates has been repeatedly implicated of providing arms to the militia, claims it rejects. "This trend will probably continue," he advised.