The US has imposed sanctions on a network it says is recruiting former Colombian soldiers and training individuals to fight in Sudan's civil war.
Eight entities and individuals - primarily of Colombian nationality - have been aiding the Sudanese paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), the US Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) said on Tuesday.
The statement added that hundreds of Colombian mercenaries have traveled to Sudan since 2024, including to serve as infantry and drone pilots for the RSF.
Last year, Colombian President Gustavo Petro said those who spill young blood for money in foreign countries must be punished criminally.
The participation of soldiers - both former and active - in foreign conflicts dates back decades to the US wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, in exchange for American military aid in Colombia's war on drugs and armed groups.
This created an even greater number of Colombian soldiers who, two decades later, are beginning to retire without a sufficient source of income, a retired military officer turned academic told BBC Mundo.
Alfonso Manzur explained that as a result, we see more Colombian ex-soldiers on missions abroad.
Retired Colombian soldiers are commonly recruited under false promises of low-risk work, before appearing on the frontlines, such as in the current conflict between Russia and Ukraine, and in Sudan.
In 2024, the Colombian foreign ministry indicated it was aware of citizens being deceived by what it called sophisticated human trafficking networks, leading them to become mercenaries in international conflicts.
On Tuesday, the US Treasury's OFAC said it was targeting a network for recruiting fighters for the RSF, which has been battling the Sudanese army since April 2023.
The RSF has shown again and again that it is willing to target civilians - including infants and young children, said John Hurley, the Treasury's under-secretary for terrorism and financial intelligence.
Its brutality has deepened the conflict and destabilized the region, creating conditions for terrorist groups to grow.
The State Department has stated the group and its allied militias have attacked civilians, killed men and boys systematically, and targeted women and girls.
Earlier this year, it determined that RSF members had committed genocide, although both the paramilitary group and the army have been repeatedly accused of war crimes.
The transnational network accused of aiding the group consists of four entities and four individuals, including a Colombian-Italian dual national who is a former military officer, now based in the UAE, a country accused of arming the RSF.
All property and interests in property of the designated or blocked persons are blocked and must be reported, according to the Treasury.
The US has accused the primarily Colombian network of recruiting mercenaries to serve with the RSF, providing tactical and technical expertise, and even training children to fight.
Colombian fighters have been involved in battles across Sudan, including Khartoum, Omdurman, Kordofan, and el-Fasher.
On the ground, the RSF has seen gains, such as taking the city of el-Fasher in October, after a prolonged siege.
More than 5,000 deaths have been attributed to the RSF's rampage through the army's last stronghold in Darfur.
The three Kordofan states, home to almost eight million people, have become a significant battlefield.
Monday's attacks resulted in at least 114 deaths, including 63 children, as reported by the World Health Organisation.
The WHO director-general condemned these strikes, repeatedly calling for a ceasefire.
Additionally, the RSF claimed control of Sudan's largest oil field, Heglig, a move they hailed as a key milestone in their objectives.
Last month, US President Donald Trump indicated plans to start working on Sudan in partnership with Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE, acknowledging the serious atrocities occurring.
Nearly 12 million people have been displaced due to these conflicts, resulting in famine conditions in various parts of Sudan.
