🔗 Share this article

The US government has levied restrictions on a operation of several persons and entities alleged of hiring South American contractors to support and educate a armed faction in Sudan that Washington accuses of acts of genocide.

Group Makeup

Announcing the sanctions on Tuesday, the American treasury stated the operation was largely composed of Colombian citizens and firms.

Hundreds of ex-soldiers from Colombia have reportedly travelled to the conflict in Sudan to combat beside the Sudanese RSF militia, a group accused of severe violations including ethnically targeted slaughter and mass abductions.

Emergence of Involvement

The involvement of Colombian fighters first came to light in 2024, prompted by an investigation which revealed that more than 300 retired troops had been contracted to fight – an discovery that prompted an rare mea culpa from officials in Bogotá.

Colombian ex-soldiers have historically been seen as some of the most in-demand contractors globally due to their considerable warzone knowledge gleaned from a long-running domestic war, knowledge of advanced weaponry, and elite military instruction.

Activities in Sudan

In the conflict, the mercenaries have reportedly trained child soldiers, instructed militiamen in drone operation, and engaged in frontline combat. A mercenary remarked that training children was "horrific and irrational" but added that "regrettably, war operates that way".

Named Entities

Among those sanctioned was a dual national, a citizen of both Colombia and Italy and retired Colombian military officer located in the UAE. The Treasury alleged he played a key part in enlisting and transporting mercenaries to Sudan. His wife, Claudia Oliveros, was similarly targeted.

Also on the sanctions list was Mateo Duque Botero, a dual Colombian-Spanish citizen who the Treasury stated oversaw a company accused of processing money and salaries for the network. "Over the past two years, American entities linked to Duque conducted numerous wire transfers, totalling millions of US dollars," the official announcement stated.

Citizen of Colombia Mónica Muñoz Ucros was the fourth individual to be sanctioned, with the company she managed accused of money transfers connected to Duque and his companies.

"Washington reiterates its demand for foreign parties to halt the flow of financial and military support to the belligerents," the agency stated.

Analyst Commentary

An expert, senior analyst at the International Crisis Group, described the measures as a "highly important" milestone, stating that "identifying the recruiters is the correct approach".

It was also noted that, the Colombian government has enacted a law endorsing the International Convention Against the Recruitment and Use of Mercenaries, seeking to reduce decades of Colombian involvement in overseas wars and change national security policy.

Another expert, an expert on mercenaries, called for greater wariness, noting that "restrictions are needed but not enough for combating rampant mercenarism".

"It’s an illicit economy and based out of the Emirates, which is relatively sanction-proof," he stated. The United Arab Emirates has been widely accused of providing arms to the militia, allegations it disputes. "Expect more Colombian mercenaries," the expert cautioned.