Washington Levies Restrictions on Group Accused of Channeling South American Contractors to Sudan.

The Washington has levied restrictions on a group of several persons and entities accused of recruiting Colombian mercenaries to combat alongside and instruct a militia force in Sudan that Washington accuses of genocidal acts.

Operation Structure

Announcing the restrictions on this week, the American treasury stated the operation was largely composed of Colombian citizens and firms.

Scores of former Colombian military personnel have been recruited to go to the conflict in Sudan to operate with the RSF paramilitary group, a faction accused of severe violations including targeted ethnic killings and large-scale abductions.

Discovery of Participation

The involvement of Colombian fighters was first uncovered last year, after an inquiry which disclosed that hundreds of former soldiers had been contracted to fight – an revelation that prompted an unusual statement of regret from Colombia’s foreign ministry.

Former Colombian military have long been considered as some of the most in-demand contractors globally due to their considerable warzone knowledge gleaned from a long-running domestic war, familiarity with Nato equipment, and elite military instruction.

Reported Actions

In Sudan, the mercenaries have allegedly instructed underage fighters, instructed militiamen in drone operation, and engaged in frontline combat. A mercenary was quoted as saying that training children was "horrific and irrational" but commented that "regrettably, war operates that way".

Named Entities

Among those targeted was a dual national, a citizen of both Colombia and Italy and former army officer based in the United Arab Emirates. The US authorities alleged he played a central role in hiring and sending former Colombian soldiers to Sudan. His wife, Claudia Viviana Oliveros Forero, was similarly targeted.

Also on the penalty list was Duque Botero, a dual Colombian-Spanish citizen who officials alleged oversaw a company implicated in handling funds and payroll for the recruitment operation. "In 2024 and 2025, American entities linked to Duque carried out several money transfers, amounting to millions," the government release stated.

Citizen of Colombia Mónica Muñoz Ucros was the other individual to be targeted, with the entity she oversaw said to have conducted financial transactions linked to Duque and his companies.

"The US once more urges foreign parties to stop giving monetary and weaponry aid to the combatants," the department stated.

Expert Analysis

An expert, with the International Crisis Group, called the measures as a "very significant" development, noting that "identifying the recruiters is the right way to go".

It was also noted that, the Colombian government has enacted a statute ratifying the International Convention Against the Recruitment and Use of Mercenaries, seeking to reduce decades of Colombian involvement in foreign conflicts and change its security approach.

Another expert, a scholar on the subject, called for greater wariness, saying that "restrictions are needed but not enough for addressing widespread use of contractors".

"It operates in the black market and centered in the Emirates, which is difficult to penalize," he commented. The Emirati government has been frequently alleged of supplying weapons to the paramilitary group, an accusation it has denied. "This trend will probably continue," he advised.