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The United States has levied restrictions on a network of four people and four firms accused of hiring Colombian mercenaries to support and educate a Sudanese paramilitary group that Washington accuses of acts of genocide.

Group Makeup

Announcing the restrictions on this week, the Treasury stated the network was primarily made up of Colombian citizens and firms.

Scores of former Colombian military personnel have allegedly journeyed to the Sudanese warzone to operate with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a faction accused of horrific war crimes including targeted ethnic killings and widespread kidnappings.

Discovery of Participation

The role of these mercenaries initially emerged the previous year, after an report which found that over three hundred ex-military personnel had been hired to fight – an event that led to an unusual statement of regret from Colombia’s foreign ministry.

These South American veterans have widely regarded as highly prized fighters in conflict zones due to their considerable warzone knowledge resulting from decades of civil war, training on Western military gear, and high-level combat training.

Activities in Sudan

In the Sudanese theater, the mercenaries have reportedly trained minors, taught fighters to pilot drones, and engaged in frontline combat. One source previously stated that working with child soldiers was "horrific and irrational" but added that "regrettably, war operates that way".

Sanctioned Individuals

Among those penalized was a retired Colombian officer, a dual Colombian-Italian national and former army officer operating from the United Arab Emirates. The US authorities said he had a central role in enlisting and transporting ex-military personnel to Sudan. His wife, Claudia Viviana Oliveros Forero, was also sanctioned.

Also on the sanctions list was Duque Botero, a individual with Colombian and Spanish citizenship who authorities say managed a business linked to managing finances and payments for the scheme. "In 2024 and 2025, companies in the United States linked to Duque conducted numerous wire transfers, worth millions," the government release noted.

Colombian national Mónica Muñoz was the other individual to be targeted, with the company she managed alleged to have financial transactions connected to Duque and his operations.

"The United States again calls on foreign parties to halt the flow of monetary and weaponry aid to the combatants," the agency said in a statement.

Analyst Commentary

Elizabeth Dickinson, with the International Crisis Group, called the sanctions as a "major" milestone, saying that "identifying the recruiters is the proper strategy".

It was also noted that, Bogotá has enacted a statute approving the anti-mercenary convention, designed to limit years of participation by its nationals in overseas wars and transform national security policy.

Sean McFate, a authority on private military contractors, urged more caution, saying that "penalties are required yet incomplete for combating rampant mercenarism".

"This is a shadow economy and centered in the Emirates, which is largely insulated from sanctions," he commented. The UAE has been repeatedly implicated of supplying weapons to the paramilitary group, claims it rejects. "This trend will probably continue," he advised.