🔗 Share this article

The United States has enforced penalties on a operation of several persons and entities alleged of enlisting former Colombian soldiers to support and educate a militia force in Sudan that Washington accuses of genocidal acts.

Group Makeup

Disclosing the sanctions on Tuesday, the American treasury stated the network was largely composed of Colombian nationals and companies.

Hundreds of retired Colombian troops have reportedly travelled to the conflict in Sudan to combat beside the RSF paramilitary group, a force implicated in terrible atrocities encompassing targeted ethnic killings and large-scale abductions.

Discovery of Participation

The participation of ex-soldiers initially emerged the previous year, following an investigation which found that hundreds of retired troops had been recruited to fight – an revelation that prompted an rare mea culpa from the Colombian government.

Former Colombian military have historically been seen as highly prized fighters in conflict zones due to their considerable warzone knowledge acquired during years of internal conflict, knowledge of Nato equipment, and elite military instruction.

Reported Actions

In the conflict, the contractors have allegedly instructed child soldiers, taught fighters to pilot drones, and fought directly on the frontlines. An individual involved remarked that instructing minors was "terrible and insane" but commented that "regrettably, war operates that way".

Sanctioned Individuals

Among those penalized was a retired Colombian officer, a dual Colombian-Italian national and retired Colombian military officer operating from the Dubai. The Treasury said he had a key part in enlisting and transporting mercenaries to Sudan. His wife, Claudia Oliveros, was also sanctioned.

Also on the penalty list was Mateo Duque Botero, a dual national who authorities say ran a firm accused of managing finances and payments for the scheme. "In 2024 and 2025, American entities connected to Duque engaged in multiple financial transactions, totalling millions of US dollars," the government release stated.

Colombian national Mónica Muñoz Ucros was the fourth individual to be penalized, with the entity she oversaw said to have conducted money transfers linked to Duque and his companies.

"Washington reiterates its demand for external actors to halt the flow of financial and military support to the combatants," the Treasury stated.

Expert Analysis

Elizabeth Dickinson, from a conflict think tank, labeled the measures as a "very significant" milestone, noting that "identifying the recruiters is the proper strategy".

Furthermore, Bogotá recently passed a statute endorsing the International Convention Against the Recruitment and Use of Mercenaries, designed to limit decades of Colombian involvement in international fights and change its security approach.

Another expert, a scholar on the subject, called for greater wariness, saying that "restrictions are needed but not enough for addressing the growing mercenary trade".

"This is a shadow economy and based out of the UAE, which is largely insulated from sanctions," he stated. The United Arab Emirates has been widely accused of providing arms to the militia, an accusation it has denied. "Expect more Colombian mercenaries," the expert cautioned.