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The Washington has enforced penalties on a group of four people and four firms alleged of enlisting Colombian mercenaries to combat alongside and instruct a Sudanese paramilitary group which the US alleges of acts of genocide.

Group Makeup

Revealing the restrictions on Tuesday, the American treasury stated the network was mostly comprised of individuals and businesses from Colombia.

Scores of retired Colombian troops have reportedly travelled to the conflict in Sudan to operate with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a group accused of horrific war crimes encompassing targeted ethnic killings and widespread kidnappings.

Discovery of Participation

The involvement of Colombian fighters initially emerged in 2024, after an inquiry which revealed that more than 300 retired troops had been contracted to fight – an revelation that resulted in an rare mea culpa from the Colombian government.

Former Colombian military have long been considered as some of the most in-demand contractors globally due to their extensive battlefield experience gleaned from decades of civil war, training on Western military gear, and superior tactical education.

Reported Actions

In the Sudanese theater, the mercenaries have been accused of teaching underage fighters, provided drone warfare training, and participated in direct battles. A mercenary previously stated that working with child soldiers was "awful and crazy" but noted that "unfortunately that’s how war is".

Named Entities

Among those penalized was a dual national, a dual Colombian-Italian national and ex-soldier located in the UAE. The Treasury alleged he played a central role in enlisting and transporting ex-military personnel to Sudan. His wife, Claudia Oliveros, was also sanctioned.

Also on the penalty list was Mateo Duque Botero, a dual Colombian-Spanish citizen who the Treasury stated managed a business linked to processing money and salaries for the scheme. "Over the past two years, companies in the United States connected to Duque conducted several money transfers, totalling millions of US dollars," the Treasury statement stated.

Individual Mónica Muñoz was the final person to be sanctioned, with the entity she oversaw said to have conducted financial transactions connected to Duque and his operations.

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

Analyst Commentary

Elizabeth Dickinson, with the International Crisis Group, called the measures as a "major" development, noting that "calling out those who are doing the contracting is the proper strategy".

It was also noted that, Colombia ratified a law approving the global treaty against mercenarism, designed to limit years of participation by its nationals in international fights and reshape domestic defense strategy.

A mercenary specialist, an expert on mercenaries, advised additional measures, saying that "restrictions are needed but not enough for dealing with the growing mercenary trade".

"This is a shadow economy and operating from the Emirates, which is largely insulated from sanctions," he said. The UAE has been widely accused of supplying weapons to the paramilitary group, an accusation it has denied. "Expect more Colombian mercenaries," he advised.