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The United States has levied restrictions on a network of four individuals and four companies charged of recruiting South American contractors to support and educate a Sudanese paramilitary group the United States claims of acts of genocide.

Network Composition

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

Numerous of ex-soldiers from Colombia have reportedly travelled to the conflict in Sudan to operate with the RSF paramilitary group, a faction linked to terrible atrocities such as ethnically targeted slaughter and large-scale abductions.

Discovery of Participation

The role of these mercenaries first came to light in 2024, prompted by an report which found that more than 300 ex-military personnel had been recruited to participate in the war – an revelation that led to an unprecedented apology from officials in Bogotá.

Colombian ex-soldiers have historically been seen as among the world’s most sought-after mercenaries due to their extensive battlefield experience resulting from a long-running domestic war, training on Western military gear, and elite military instruction.

Reported Actions

In the conflict, the contractors have allegedly instructed underage fighters, provided drone warfare training, and engaged in frontline combat. An individual involved remarked that instructing minors was "horrific and irrational" but added that "unfortunately that’s how war is".

Named Entities

Among those targeted was a dual national, a citizen of both Colombia and Italy and ex-soldier based in the UAE. The US authorities alleged he played a key part in recruiting and deploying ex-military personnel to Sudan. His spouse, Claudia Viviana Oliveros Forero, was similarly targeted.

Also on the restricted list was Duque Botero, a dual Colombian-Spanish citizen who the Treasury stated ran a firm linked to handling funds and payroll for the network. "Recently, companies in the United States connected to Duque carried out several money transfers, worth millions," the official announcement noted.

Colombian national Mónica Muñoz was the fourth individual to be targeted, with the company she managed accused of financial transactions connected to Duque and his businesses.

"Washington reiterates its demand for external actors to halt the flow of funding and arms to the belligerents," the department said in a statement.

Reaction

A senior analyst, with the International Crisis Group, described the sanctions as a "highly important" step, stating that "identifying the recruiters is the right way to go".

She added that, Bogotá recently passed a statute ratifying the anti-mercenary convention, seeking to reduce decades of Colombian involvement in overseas wars and transform domestic defense strategy.

Sean McFate, an expert on mercenaries, advised additional measures, saying that "restrictions are needed but not enough for dealing with rampant mercenarism".

"It operates in the black market and operating from the UAE, which is difficult to penalize," he said. The Emirati government has been widely accused of arming the RSF, claims it rejects. "This trend will probably continue," he advised.