🔗 Share this article

The US government has imposed sanctions on a network of four individuals and four companies accused of enlisting Colombian mercenaries to fight for and train a Sudanese paramilitary group which the US alleges of acts of genocide.

Operation Structure

Announcing the restrictions on this week, the American treasury stated the network was mostly comprised of Colombian citizens and firms.

Scores of former Colombian military personnel have allegedly journeyed to Sudan to operate with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a group linked to horrific war crimes encompassing targeted ethnic killings and widespread kidnappings.

Emergence of Involvement

The participation of ex-soldiers first came to light in 2024, prompted by an investigation which found that over three hundred retired troops had been hired to fight – an event that led to an unusual statement of regret from officials in Bogotá.

Colombian ex-soldiers have long been considered as highly prized fighters in conflict zones due to their extensive battlefield experience acquired during decades of civil war, training on Western military gear, and high-level combat training.

Reported Actions

In the Sudanese theater, the contractors have reportedly trained minors, taught fighters to pilot drones, and fought directly on the frontlines. A mercenary was quoted as saying that training children was "horrific and irrational" but commented that "unfortunately that’s how war is".

Targeted Persons

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 alleged he played a key part in recruiting and deploying former Colombian soldiers to Sudan. His wife, Claudia Oliveros, was also sanctioned.

Also on the penalty list was Mateo Duque Botero, a individual with Colombian and Spanish citizenship who officials alleged ran a firm accused of managing finances and payments for the network. "Recently, companies in the United States associated with Duque engaged in numerous wire transfers, totalling millions of US dollars," the official announcement stated.

Individual Mónica Muñoz was the fourth individual to be penalized, with the entity she oversaw alleged to have wire transfers associated with Duque and his operations.

"The US once more urges outside forces to halt the flow of monetary and weaponry aid to the warring parties," the department said in a statement.

Analyst Commentary

An expert, with the International Crisis Group, labeled the actions as a "highly important" step, noting that "targeting the enablers is the correct approach".

She added that, Colombia has enacted a statute approving the anti-mercenary convention, aiming to curb its citizens' long history in foreign conflicts and reshape national security policy.

A mercenary specialist, a scholar on the subject, urged more caution, saying that "sanctions are necessary but insufficient for addressing widespread use of contractors".

"It operates in the black market and operating from the UAE, which is relatively sanction-proof," he stated. The UAE has been widely accused of supplying weapons to the paramilitary group, allegations it disputes. "More contractors from Colombia are likely," the expert cautioned.