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The United States has levied restrictions on a network of four people and four firms charged of enlisting Colombian mercenaries to fight for and train a militia force in Sudan the United States claims of committing genocide.

Operation Structure

Revealing the sanctions on this week, the US Treasury Department stated the network was largely composed of individuals and businesses from Colombia.

Hundreds of former Colombian military personnel have allegedly journeyed to the Sudanese warzone to combat beside the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a group linked to severe violations encompassing ethnically targeted slaughter and large-scale abductions.

Emergence of Involvement

The involvement of Colombian fighters first came to light the previous year, following an report which disclosed that more than 300 former soldiers had been recruited to fight – an event that prompted an unusual statement of regret from Colombia’s foreign ministry.

Colombian ex-soldiers have long been considered as some of the most in-demand contractors globally due to their considerable warzone knowledge acquired during decades of civil war, training on advanced weaponry, and high-level combat training.

Role in the Conflict

In the Sudanese theater, the contractors have reportedly trained underage fighters, taught fighters to pilot drones, and fought directly on the frontlines. An individual involved was quoted as saying that instructing minors was "awful and crazy" but added that "regrettably, war operates that way".

Targeted Persons

Among those targeted was Álvaro Andrés Quijano Becerra, a individual with dual citizenship and former army officer based in the UAE. The government accused him a pivotal function in recruiting and deploying ex-military personnel to Sudan. His wife, Claudia Viviana Oliveros Forero, was also sanctioned.

Also on the penalty list was Mateo Duque Botero, a individual with Colombian and Spanish citizenship who officials alleged managed a business linked to managing finances and payments for the scheme. "In 2024 and 2025, US-based firms associated with Duque conducted multiple financial transactions, worth millions," the government release said.

Colombian national Mónica Muñoz Ucros was the final person to be sanctioned, with the firm she operated accused of wire transfers connected to Duque and his operations.

"Washington reiterates its demand for outside forces to halt the flow of monetary and weaponry aid to the combatants," the Treasury announced.

Reaction

Elizabeth Dickinson, from a conflict think tank, called the measures as a "very significant" step, stating that "identifying the recruiters is the right way to go".

She added that, the Colombian government has enacted a law approving the anti-mercenary convention, designed to limit years of participation by its nationals in international fights and transform its security approach.

Sean McFate, a scholar on the subject, advised additional measures, saying that "penalties are required yet incomplete for dealing with rampant mercenarism".

"This is a shadow economy and operating from the Emirates, which is largely insulated from sanctions," he commented. The United Arab Emirates has been repeatedly implicated of supplying weapons to the paramilitary group, an accusation it has denied. "More contractors from Colombia are likely," the expert cautioned.