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The US government has levied restrictions on a network of four individuals and four companies accused of enlisting former Colombian soldiers to fight for and train a militia force in Sudan the United States claims of genocidal acts.

Operation Structure

Announcing the restrictions on this week, the American treasury stated the scheme was mostly comprised of individuals and businesses from Colombia.

Numerous of ex-soldiers from Colombia have allegedly journeyed to the conflict in Sudan to combat beside the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a group linked to horrific war crimes encompassing ethnically targeted slaughter and large-scale abductions.

Revelation of Role

The involvement of Colombian fighters initially emerged the previous year, after an investigation which found that hundreds of former soldiers had been contracted to engage in combat – an revelation that led to an rare mea culpa from Colombia’s foreign ministry.

These South American veterans have widely regarded as among the world’s most sought-after mercenaries due to their considerable warzone knowledge gleaned from a long-running domestic war, familiarity with Western military gear, and high-level combat training.

Role in the Conflict

In Sudan, the mercenaries have reportedly trained minors, provided drone warfare training, and engaged in frontline combat. An individual involved previously stated that training children was "awful and crazy" but added that "unfortunately that’s how war is".

Named Entities

Among those penalized was a retired Colombian officer, a dual Colombian-Italian national and former army officer located in the Dubai. The US authorities said he had a central role in recruiting and deploying former Colombian soldiers to Sudan. His wife, Claudia Oliveros, was penalized as well.

Also on the restricted list was Mateo Andrés Duque Botero, a dual national who authorities say ran a firm linked to handling funds and payroll for the network. "In 2024 and 2025, companies in the United States associated with Duque carried out multiple financial transactions, amounting to millions," the official announcement stated.

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

"The United States again calls on foreign parties to stop giving monetary and weaponry aid to the warring parties," the department stated.

Analyst Commentary

Elizabeth Dickinson, from a conflict think tank, labeled the actions as a "very significant" development, noting that "identifying the recruiters is the correct approach".

It was also noted that, the Colombian government ratified a piece of legislation approving the global treaty against mercenarism, aiming to curb years of participation by its nationals in international fights and change national security policy.

A mercenary specialist, a scholar on the subject, called for greater wariness, noting that "sanctions are necessary but insufficient for dealing with rampant mercenarism".

"It’s an illicit economy and operating from Dubai, which is difficult to penalize," he stated. The UAE has been repeatedly implicated of arming the RSF, allegations it disputes. "Expect more Colombian mercenaries," the expert cautioned.