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The Washington has imposed sanctions on a group of four individuals and four companies charged of enlisting South American contractors to support and educate a militia force in Sudan which the US alleges of genocidal acts.

Group Makeup

Disclosing the restrictions on this week, the Treasury stated the scheme was largely composed of individuals and businesses from Colombia.

Hundreds of former Colombian military personnel have reportedly travelled to the conflict in Sudan to fight alongside the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a faction linked to terrible atrocities encompassing ethnically targeted slaughter and widespread kidnappings.

Revelation of Role

The involvement of Colombian fighters first came to light in 2024, after an investigation which found that over three hundred former soldiers had been contracted to engage in combat – an revelation that led to an unusual statement of regret from the Colombian government.

These South American veterans have long been considered as among the world’s most sought-after mercenaries due to their extensive battlefield experience resulting from decades of civil war, training on advanced weaponry, and superior tactical education.

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 training children was "awful and crazy" but commented that "regrettably, war operates that way".

Named Entities

Among those sanctioned was a dual national, a dual Colombian-Italian national and former army officer based in the UAE. The government 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 restricted list was Duque Botero, a dual Colombian-Spanish citizen who the Treasury stated ran a firm accused of managing finances and payments for the scheme. "Over the past two years, US-based firms linked to Duque carried out several money transfers, worth millions," the government release said.

Colombian national Mónica Muñoz was the other individual to be penalized, with the entity she oversaw alleged to have wire transfers linked to Duque and his companies.

"The US once more urges foreign parties to stop giving financial and military support to the belligerents," the agency said in a statement.

Expert Analysis

Elizabeth Dickinson, with the International Crisis Group, labeled the actions as a "very significant" milestone, saying that "targeting the enablers is the right way to go".

Furthermore, Colombia ratified a piece of legislation approving the global treaty against mercenarism, designed to limit years of participation by its nationals in foreign conflicts and transform domestic defense strategy.

Another expert, an expert on mercenaries, called for greater wariness, stating that "restrictions are needed but not enough for dealing with the growing mercenary trade".

"This is a shadow economy and centered in the UAE, which is relatively sanction-proof," he commented. The Emirati government has been widely accused of supplying weapons to the paramilitary group, claims it rejects. "This trend will probably continue," he advised.