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The United States has imposed sanctions on a operation of several persons and entities charged of hiring Colombian mercenaries to fight for and train a Sudanese paramilitary group that Washington accuses of genocidal acts.

Network Composition

Revealing the sanctions on Tuesday, the US Treasury Department stated the scheme was largely composed of Colombian citizens and firms.

Hundreds of retired Colombian troops have reportedly travelled to the conflict in Sudan to operate with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a group accused of severe violations such as massacres based on ethnicity and large-scale abductions.

Revelation of Role

The role of these mercenaries initially emerged the previous year, following an inquiry which disclosed that more than 300 retired troops had been recruited to fight – an revelation that resulted in an unusual statement of regret from officials in Bogotá.

These South American veterans have long been considered as among the world’s most sought-after mercenaries due to their considerable warzone knowledge gleaned from a long-running domestic war, knowledge of Nato equipment, and high-level combat training.

Reported Actions

In the Sudanese theater, the contractors have reportedly trained child soldiers, provided drone warfare training, and engaged in frontline combat. A mercenary previously stated that instructing minors was "horrific and irrational" but noted that "regrettably, war operates that way".

Sanctioned Individuals

Among those targeted was Álvaro Andrés Quijano Becerra, a citizen of both Colombia and Italy and former army officer operating from the Dubai. The Treasury accused him a key part in recruiting and deploying mercenaries to Sudan. His spouse, Claudia Viviana Oliveros Forero, was similarly targeted.

Also on the penalty list was Duque Botero, a individual with Colombian and Spanish citizenship who officials alleged oversaw a company accused of processing money and salaries for the recruitment operation. "In 2024 and 2025, US-based firms connected to Duque engaged in multiple financial transactions, totalling millions of US dollars," the Treasury statement said.

Citizen of Colombia Mónica Muñoz was the other individual to be sanctioned, with the firm she operated said to have conducted wire transfers associated with Duque and his companies.

"The US once more urges external actors to halt the flow of financial and military support to the combatants," the department stated.

Analyst Commentary

Elizabeth Dickinson, with the International Crisis Group, called the measures as a "highly important" milestone, stating that "targeting the enablers is the right way to go".

Furthermore, Colombia ratified a statute approving the International Convention Against the Recruitment and Use of Mercenaries, designed to limit years of participation by its nationals in foreign conflicts and reshape national security policy.

A mercenary specialist, a authority on private military contractors, called for greater wariness, stating that "restrictions are needed but not enough for dealing with rampant mercenarism".

"This is a shadow economy and based out of the Emirates, which is relatively sanction-proof," he commented. The Emirati government has been widely accused of providing arms to the militia, an accusation it has denied. "More contractors from Colombia are likely," he advised.