The United States has announced fresh sanctions against an international network it says has been recruiting and training Colombian fighters to take part in Sudan’s devastating civil war.
According to the US Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), eight individuals and entities — most of them Colombian — have been linked to the recruitment of former soldiers who are deployed to support the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), the Sudanese paramilitary group battling the national army since April 2023.
Washington says hundreds of Colombian ex-soldiers have travelled to Sudan since 2024, serving as infantry fighters and drone operators for the RSF. Their involvement comes despite warnings from Colombian authorities. President Gustavo Petro has previously criticised Colombians who take part in overseas conflicts, saying those who “shed young blood for money abroad must face criminal consequences.”
Colombia’s history of supplying fighters to foreign battlefields stretches back to the US-led wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Years of military partnerships and anti-drug operations created a large pool of trained soldiers who later retired without stable income, making them prime targets for foreign recruiters.
Security analysts say many ex-soldiers are lured with promises of safe, well-paid jobs, only to find themselves on frontlines in conflicts such as the war in Ukraine and now Sudan.
Colombia’s foreign ministry has acknowledged the problem, warning last year that “sophisticated trafficking networks” were deceiving citizens into becoming mercenaries.
OFAC’s latest sanctions target four individuals and four companies accused of recruiting, transporting, and preparing fighters for the RSF. Among them is a former Colombian military officer with dual Italian citizenship who now lives in the United Arab Emirates — a country repeatedly accused of supplying weapons to the RSF, a claim the UAE continues to reject.
Sudan’s state broadcaster previously claimed that the national air force shot down a plane allegedly carrying dozens of Colombian fighters. While the UAE denied this, Colombia confirmed it was investigating how many citizens may have died.
The US says the sanctioned network helped train RSF fighters, offered tactical support, and even assisted in training children for combat. The sanctions block all assets linked to the named persons and entities in US-controlled jurisdictions.
Colombian fighters have reportedly taken part in major battles across Sudan, including Khartoum, Omdurman, Kordofan, and the strategic city of el-Fasher, which fell to the RSF in October after a prolonged siege that left over 5,000 people dead.
The conflict continues to intensify. On Monday, at least 114 people — including 63 children — were killed in strikes on a school and a hospital in South Kordofan, according to the World Health Organization. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus condemned the attack and renewed calls for an immediate ceasefire.
The RSF has also claimed control of Heglig, Sudan’s largest oil field, calling the capture a “turning point” in its campaign.
International alarm is rising. Last month, US President Donald Trump said he would begin working with Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE to address what he described as “horrific atrocities.”
The war has displaced nearly 12 million people, leaving parts of the country on the brink of famine as fighting spreads across key regions.