🔗 Share this article

The Washington has enforced penalties on a group of four people and four firms charged of recruiting former Colombian soldiers to fight for and train a armed faction in Sudan which the US alleges of acts of genocide.

Operation Structure

Revealing the measures on Tuesday, the American treasury stated the network was largely composed of individuals and businesses from Colombia.

Numerous of former Colombian military personnel have allegedly journeyed to the conflict in Sudan to combat beside the RSF paramilitary group, a force linked to severe violations encompassing ethnically targeted slaughter and mass abductions.

Discovery of Participation

The participation of ex-soldiers first came to light last year, following an investigation which found that hundreds of ex-military personnel had been recruited to participate in the war – an revelation that prompted an unusual statement of regret from Colombia’s foreign ministry.

Colombian ex-soldiers have widely regarded as highly prized fighters in conflict zones due to their extensive battlefield experience gleaned from decades of civil war, familiarity with Nato equipment, and high-level combat training.

Role in the Conflict

In the Sudanese theater, the contractors have reportedly trained child soldiers, taught fighters to pilot drones, and engaged in frontline combat. A mercenary previously stated that training children was "awful and crazy" but commented that "unfortunately that’s how war is".

Sanctioned Individuals

Among those penalized was a retired Colombian officer, a dual Colombian-Italian national and former army officer based in the United Arab Emirates. The US authorities said he had a pivotal function in enlisting and transporting former Colombian soldiers to Sudan. His spouse, Claudia Viviana Oliveros Forero, was similarly targeted.

Also on the sanctions list was Duque Botero, a dual Colombian-Spanish citizen who officials alleged ran a firm accused of processing money and salaries for the network. "In 2024 and 2025, US-based firms connected to Duque engaged in several money transfers, worth millions," the government release said.

Colombian national Mónica Muñoz Ucros was the final person to be penalized, with the entity she oversaw accused of money transfers linked to Duque and his companies.

"Washington reiterates its demand for foreign parties to stop giving financial and military support to the combatants," the department said in a statement.

Reaction

Elizabeth Dickinson, from a conflict think tank, labeled the measures as a "highly important" milestone, stating that "calling out those who are doing the contracting is the correct approach".

Furthermore, Bogotá ratified a law endorsing the global treaty against mercenarism, aiming to curb decades of Colombian involvement in overseas wars and transform domestic defense strategy.

A mercenary specialist, an expert on mercenaries, urged more caution, stating that "penalties are required yet incomplete for combating rampant mercenarism".

"It’s an illicit economy and operating from Dubai, which is largely insulated from sanctions," he stated. The Emirati government has been frequently alleged of supplying weapons to the paramilitary group, claims it rejects. "Expect more Colombian mercenaries," McFate warned.