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The US government has imposed sanctions on a group of four people and four firms alleged of hiring Colombian mercenaries to support and educate a Sudanese paramilitary group the United States claims of genocidal acts.

Operation Structure

Announcing the restrictions on this week, the American treasury stated the network was largely composed of individuals and businesses from Colombia.

Hundreds of retired Colombian troops have been recruited to go to the Sudanese warzone to operate with the Sudanese RSF militia, a group implicated in terrible atrocities encompassing ethnically targeted slaughter and widespread kidnappings.

Discovery of Participation

The involvement of Colombian fighters initially emerged in 2024, following an report which disclosed that more than 300 ex-military personnel had been recruited to engage in combat – an discovery that prompted an unprecedented apology from Colombia’s foreign ministry.

Former Colombian military have long been considered as among the world’s most sought-after mercenaries due to their extensive battlefield experience acquired during decades of civil war, familiarity with Nato equipment, and elite military instruction.

Activities in Sudan

In the conflict, the mercenaries have allegedly instructed child soldiers, provided drone warfare training, and engaged in frontline combat. An individual involved remarked that working with child soldiers was "awful and crazy" but commented that "unfortunately that’s how war is".

Targeted Persons

Among those penalized was Álvaro Andrés Quijano Becerra, a dual Colombian-Italian national and retired Colombian military officer operating from the United Arab Emirates. The US authorities said he had a key part in recruiting and deploying ex-military personnel to Sudan. His spouse, Claudia Oliveros, was penalized as well.

Also on the restricted list was Mateo Andrés Duque Botero, a dual Colombian-Spanish citizen who the Treasury stated oversaw a company accused of processing money and salaries for the scheme. "Recently, American entities connected to Duque carried out multiple financial transactions, amounting to millions," the government release said.

Colombian national Mónica Muñoz Ucros was the fourth individual to be targeted, with the firm she operated accused of money transfers associated with Duque and his companies.

"The US once more urges external actors to halt the flow of funding and arms to the combatants," the department announced.

Analyst Commentary

An expert, from a conflict think tank, labeled the measures as a "highly important" development, noting that "targeting the enablers is the correct approach".

She added that, Colombia ratified a statute endorsing the International Convention Against the Recruitment and Use of Mercenaries, designed to limit years of participation by its nationals in foreign conflicts and reshape domestic defense strategy.

Sean McFate, a scholar on the subject, advised additional measures, noting that "penalties are required yet incomplete for addressing the growing mercenary trade".

"This is a shadow economy and based out of Dubai, which is largely insulated from sanctions," he said. The United Arab Emirates has been repeatedly implicated of supplying weapons to the paramilitary group, an accusation it has denied. "This trend will probably continue," McFate warned.