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The US government has levied restrictions on a group of several persons and entities charged of enlisting Colombian mercenaries to combat alongside and instruct a militia force in Sudan the United States claims of genocidal acts.

Operation Structure

Disclosing the restrictions on this week, the US Treasury Department stated the scheme was largely composed of Colombian citizens and firms.

Hundreds of former Colombian military personnel have reportedly travelled to the Sudanese warzone to fight alongside the RSF paramilitary group, a group accused of severe violations including targeted ethnic killings and large-scale abductions.

Discovery of Participation

The involvement of Colombian fighters was first uncovered in 2024, following an inquiry which revealed that over three hundred ex-military personnel had been hired to fight – an discovery that resulted in an unprecedented apology from the Colombian government.

Colombian ex-soldiers have widely regarded as some of the most in-demand contractors globally due to their considerable warzone knowledge acquired during a long-running domestic war, knowledge of Western military gear, and superior tactical education.

Activities in Sudan

In Sudan, the contractors have reportedly trained child soldiers, provided drone warfare training, and engaged in frontline combat. An individual involved was quoted as saying that training children was "awful and crazy" but commented that "unfortunately that’s how war is".

Sanctioned Individuals

Among those targeted was Álvaro Andrés Quijano Becerra, a individual with dual citizenship and former army officer based in the United Arab Emirates. The government accused him a central role in hiring and sending former Colombian soldiers to Sudan. His spouse, Claudia Viviana Oliveros Forero, was also sanctioned.

Also on the sanctions list was Mateo Duque Botero, a dual Colombian-Spanish citizen who the Treasury stated oversaw a company implicated in processing money and salaries for the network. "In 2024 and 2025, companies in the United States connected to Duque carried out numerous wire transfers, totalling millions of US dollars," the government release said.

Citizen of Colombia Mónica Muñoz Ucros was the fourth individual to be sanctioned, with the firm she operated alleged to have money transfers linked to Duque and his businesses.

"Washington reiterates its demand for foreign parties to halt the flow of funding and arms to the combatants," the agency said in a statement.

Expert Analysis

A senior analyst, from a conflict think tank, labeled the measures as a "major" step, noting that "calling out those who are doing the contracting is the right way to go".

She added that, Colombia ratified a statute ratifying the anti-mercenary convention, seeking to reduce decades of Colombian involvement in international fights and transform national security policy.

A mercenary specialist, a authority on private military contractors, advised additional measures, stating that "sanctions are necessary but insufficient for dealing with rampant mercenarism".

"It operates in the black market and based out of the Emirates, which is difficult to penalize," he commented. The UAE has been widely accused of arming the RSF, an accusation it has denied. "This trend will probably continue," he advised.