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The United States has enforced penalties on a operation of four people and four firms alleged of enlisting South American contractors to combat alongside and instruct a armed faction in Sudan that Washington accuses of acts of genocide.

Network Composition

Revealing the restrictions on this week, the American treasury stated the network was primarily made up of Colombian nationals and companies.

Scores of ex-soldiers from Colombia have been recruited to go to the conflict in Sudan to fight alongside the RSF paramilitary group, a group accused of terrible atrocities encompassing ethnically targeted slaughter and large-scale abductions.

Revelation of Role

The role of these mercenaries was first uncovered last year, after an inquiry which found that over three hundred retired troops had been recruited to engage in combat – an discovery that resulted in an unprecedented apology from Colombia’s foreign ministry.

Former Colombian military have historically been seen as among the world’s most sought-after mercenaries due to their extensive battlefield experience gleaned from decades of civil war, knowledge of Nato equipment, and superior tactical education.

Reported Actions

In Sudan, the Colombians have reportedly trained minors, instructed militiamen in drone operation, and engaged in frontline combat. A mercenary was quoted as saying that training children was "horrific and irrational" but commented that "regrettably, war operates that way".

Targeted Persons

Among those sanctioned was Álvaro Andrés Quijano Becerra, a citizen of both Colombia and Italy and former army officer based in the UAE. The government alleged he played a key part in recruiting and deploying ex-military personnel to Sudan. His wife, Claudia Oliveros, was similarly targeted.

Also on the restricted list was Duque Botero, a individual with Colombian and Spanish citizenship who officials alleged managed a business implicated in processing money and salaries for the scheme. "In 2024 and 2025, companies in the United States connected to Duque engaged in multiple financial transactions, totalling millions of US dollars," the Treasury statement noted.

Colombian national Mónica Muñoz Ucros was the other individual to be sanctioned, with the entity she oversaw alleged to have financial transactions connected to Duque and his operations.

"Washington reiterates its demand for foreign parties to cease providing funding and arms to the combatants," the department announced.

Expert Analysis

Elizabeth Dickinson, senior analyst at the International Crisis Group, described the sanctions as a "very significant" step, noting that "targeting the enablers is the right way to go".

She added that, Bogotá recently passed a law ratifying the anti-mercenary convention, designed to limit decades of Colombian involvement in international fights and transform its security approach.

Another expert, a scholar on the subject, called for greater wariness, stating that "penalties are required yet incomplete for dealing with widespread use of contractors".

"It’s an illicit economy and operating from the Emirates, which is difficult to penalize," he stated. The United Arab Emirates has been repeatedly implicated of arming the RSF, allegations it disputes. "Expect more Colombian mercenaries," he advised.