The United States has taken decisive action against an international mercenary recruitment network allegedly supplying foreign fighters to Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary group. On Tuesday, the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced sanctions against eight entities and individuals primarily of Colombian nationality accused of facilitating the transfer of combat personnel to the conflict-ravaged African nation.
According to official statements, hundreds of Colombian mercenaries have deployed to Sudan since 2024, with many serving in critical combat roles including infantry operations and drone warfare operations. The targeted network stands accused of providing tactical expertise and even training children for combat operations, significantly intensifying the devastating conflict that began in April 2023.
The phenomenon of Colombian soldiers participating in foreign conflicts traces back decades to US-led wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, where military assistance agreements created a generation of combat-experienced personnel. A retired military officer turned academic explained to BBC Mundo that this historical context produced numerous soldiers now retiring without adequate income sources, making them vulnerable to recruitment by sophisticated human trafficking networks operating under false pretenses of low-risk employment.
Treasury Under-Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence John Hurley condemned the RSF’s pattern of targeting civilians, including infants and children, noting that their brutality has profoundly destabilized the region and created conditions conducive to terrorist expansion. The State Department has previously determined that RSF members committed genocide, with both paramilitary and regular army forces facing repeated war crime allegations.
The sanctioned network includes four entities and four individuals, among them a dual Colombian-Italian national and former military officer currently based in the United Arab Emirates—a nation repeatedly accused of arming the RSF despite denying such allegations. All US-based assets belonging to designated persons have been frozen under the sanctions regime.
On the battlefield, the RSF has achieved significant victories including October’s capture of el-Fasher following a 500-day starvation siege that killed over 5,000 people. The conflict has recently expanded into Kordofan, home to nearly eight million people, where Monday’s strikes on a kindergarten and hospital killed 114 people including 63 children according to WHO reports. Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus described the attack as ‘senseless’ while renewing ceasefire appeals.
The humanitarian catastrophe continues to worsen with nearly 12 million people displaced and famine conditions emerging across parts of Sudan. Last month, President Donald Trump pledged to address the ‘tremendous atrocities’ through coordinated efforts with Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE.