🔗 Share this article

The US government has levied restrictions on a operation of four people and four firms charged of recruiting former Colombian soldiers to combat alongside and instruct a armed faction in Sudan that Washington accuses of committing genocide.

Group Makeup

Disclosing the restrictions on this week, the American treasury stated the network was primarily made up of Colombian citizens and firms.

Numerous of former Colombian military personnel have allegedly journeyed to Sudan to combat beside the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a force accused of terrible atrocities such as ethnically targeted slaughter and large-scale abductions.

Emergence of Involvement

The role of these mercenaries initially emerged the previous year, after an inquiry which revealed that hundreds of retired troops had been contracted to engage in combat – an event that prompted an unprecedented apology from officials in Bogotá.

These South American veterans have long been considered as highly prized fighters in conflict zones due to their considerable warzone knowledge gleaned from a long-running domestic war, knowledge of Western military gear, and superior tactical education.

Reported Actions

In the Sudanese theater, the mercenaries have been accused of teaching underage fighters, taught fighters to pilot drones, and participated in direct battles. One source remarked that training children was "terrible and insane" but commented that "sadly, that is the nature of conflict".

Sanctioned Individuals

Among those targeted was a retired Colombian officer, a citizen of both Colombia and Italy and ex-soldier located in the United Arab Emirates. The US authorities alleged he played a pivotal function in recruiting and deploying mercenaries to Sudan. His wife, Claudia Viviana Oliveros Forero, was similarly targeted.

Also on the sanctions list was Duque Botero, a dual Colombian-Spanish citizen who officials alleged ran a firm implicated in handling funds and payroll for the network. "In 2024 and 2025, American entities linked to Duque engaged in multiple financial transactions, totalling millions of US dollars," the Treasury statement noted.

Individual Mónica Muñoz was the fourth individual to be targeted, with the company she managed said to have conducted financial transactions associated with Duque and his businesses.

"The US once more urges external actors to halt the flow of funding and arms to the combatants," the Treasury announced.

Analyst Commentary

Elizabeth Dickinson, from a conflict think tank, described the sanctions as a "very significant" step, noting that "targeting the enablers is the right way to go".

It was also noted that, the Colombian government ratified a statute endorsing the International Convention Against the Recruitment and Use of Mercenaries, designed to limit decades of Colombian involvement in foreign conflicts and reshape domestic defense strategy.

Another expert, a scholar on the subject, advised additional measures, noting that "sanctions are necessary but insufficient for combating widespread use of contractors".

"This is a shadow economy and centered in the UAE, which is relatively sanction-proof," he commented. The United Arab Emirates has been frequently alleged of arming the RSF, an accusation it has denied. "More contractors from Colombia are likely," he advised.