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The Washington has imposed sanctions on a group of four people and four firms alleged of recruiting former Colombian soldiers to combat alongside and instruct a armed faction in Sudan that Washington accuses of acts of genocide.

Operation Structure

Disclosing the measures on this week, the Treasury stated the scheme was largely composed of Colombian nationals and companies.

Numerous of former Colombian military personnel have been recruited to go to the conflict in Sudan to operate with the Sudanese RSF militia, a faction accused of terrible atrocities encompassing massacres based on ethnicity and mass abductions.

Discovery of Participation

The role of these mercenaries initially emerged the previous year, prompted by an inquiry which disclosed that more than 300 former soldiers had been contracted to participate in the war – an revelation that led to an rare mea culpa from Colombia’s foreign ministry.

Former Colombian military have widely regarded as among the world’s most sought-after mercenaries due to their vast combat experience resulting from decades of civil war, knowledge of Nato equipment, and elite military instruction.

Reported Actions

In the conflict, the Colombians have reportedly trained underage fighters, taught fighters to pilot drones, and fought directly on the frontlines. An individual involved previously stated that instructing minors was "horrific and irrational" but noted that "unfortunately that’s how war is".

Sanctioned Individuals

Among those sanctioned was a retired Colombian officer, a citizen of both Colombia and Italy and retired Colombian military officer operating from the United Arab Emirates. The government said he had a key part in recruiting and deploying former Colombian soldiers to Sudan. His wife, Claudia Oliveros, was penalized as well.

Also on the penalty list was Mateo Duque Botero, a dual national who the Treasury stated managed a business implicated in handling funds and payroll for the network. "In 2024 and 2025, companies in the United States linked to Duque engaged in multiple financial transactions, worth millions," the Treasury statement said.

Colombian national Mónica Muñoz Ucros was the fourth individual to be sanctioned, with the firm she operated said to have conducted wire transfers associated with Duque and his companies.

"The US once more urges foreign parties to halt the flow of monetary and weaponry aid to the combatants," the department stated.

Expert Analysis

An expert, from a conflict think tank, labeled the actions as a "highly important" step, saying that "identifying the recruiters is the right way to go".

It was also noted that, the Colombian government recently passed a statute ratifying the International Convention Against the Recruitment and Use of Mercenaries, aiming to curb decades of Colombian involvement in foreign conflicts and change domestic defense strategy.

Another expert, a scholar on the subject, called for greater wariness, saying that "sanctions are necessary but insufficient for addressing rampant mercenarism".

"It operates in the black market and based out of the Emirates, which is difficult to penalize," he commented. The UAE has been widely accused of supplying weapons to the paramilitary group, an accusation it has denied. "Expect more Colombian mercenaries," McFate warned.