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The Washington has enforced penalties on a operation of four people and four firms accused of enlisting former Colombian soldiers to fight for and train a Sudanese paramilitary group the United States claims of committing genocide.

Group Makeup

Announcing the measures on Tuesday, the US Treasury Department stated the network was largely composed of Colombian citizens and firms.

Scores of retired Colombian troops have reportedly travelled to the Sudanese warzone to operate with the Sudanese RSF militia, a group accused of terrible atrocities encompassing ethnically targeted slaughter and large-scale abductions.

Emergence of Involvement

The role of these mercenaries first came to light in 2024, prompted by an inquiry which revealed that more than 300 former soldiers had been contracted to fight – an event that prompted an unprecedented apology from officials in Bogotá.

Colombian ex-soldiers have long been considered as some of the most in-demand contractors globally due to their extensive battlefield experience acquired during decades of civil war, familiarity with advanced weaponry, and superior tactical education.

Activities in Sudan

In Sudan, the mercenaries have reportedly trained minors, instructed militiamen in drone operation, and participated in direct battles. One source was quoted as saying that working with child soldiers was "terrible and insane" but added that "unfortunately that’s how war is".

Sanctioned Individuals

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

Also on the sanctions list was Mateo Andrés Duque Botero, a dual Colombian-Spanish citizen who officials alleged ran a firm linked to handling funds and payroll for the scheme. "In 2024 and 2025, companies in the United States associated with Duque engaged in multiple financial transactions, totalling millions of US dollars," the government release noted.

Colombian national Mónica Muñoz Ucros was the other individual to be penalized, with the company she managed said to have conducted money transfers connected to Duque and his businesses.

"The United States again calls on external actors to stop giving monetary and weaponry aid to the combatants," the agency stated.

Analyst Commentary

Elizabeth Dickinson, with the International Crisis Group, called the measures as a "very significant" development, stating that "targeting the enablers is the proper strategy".

She added that, Bogotá recently passed a statute endorsing the global treaty against mercenarism, seeking to reduce its citizens' long history in foreign conflicts and change its security approach.

Another expert, a authority on private military contractors, called for greater wariness, saying that "sanctions are necessary but insufficient for dealing with the growing mercenary trade".

"This is a shadow economy and centered in the UAE, which is difficult to penalize," he commented. The United Arab Emirates has been repeatedly implicated of providing arms to the militia, claims it rejects. "Expect more Colombian mercenaries," McFate warned.