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The US government has imposed sanctions on a operation of four individuals and four companies alleged of hiring former Colombian soldiers to fight for and train a Sudanese paramilitary group the United States claims of genocidal acts.

Network Composition

Revealing the measures on this week, the Treasury stated the network was largely composed of Colombian citizens and firms.

Scores of former Colombian military personnel have reportedly travelled to the Sudanese warzone to fight alongside the Sudanese RSF militia, a force implicated in horrific war crimes such as massacres based on ethnicity and widespread kidnappings.

Revelation of Role

The participation of ex-soldiers initially emerged last year, after an report which found that over three hundred ex-military personnel had been contracted to fight – an revelation that resulted in an unusual statement of regret from Colombia’s foreign ministry.

These South American veterans have long been considered as some of the most in-demand contractors globally due to their considerable warzone knowledge acquired during years of internal conflict, knowledge of Nato equipment, and high-level combat training.

Activities in Sudan

In the Sudanese theater, the contractors have reportedly trained minors, taught fighters to pilot drones, and participated in direct battles. A mercenary was quoted as saying that training children was "awful and crazy" but added that "regrettably, war operates that way".

Targeted Persons

Among those sanctioned was Álvaro Andrés Quijano Becerra, a individual with dual citizenship and retired Colombian military officer based in the UAE. The government said he had a key part in recruiting and deploying mercenaries to Sudan. His spouse, Claudia Oliveros, was penalized as well.

Also on the restricted list was Duque Botero, a dual national who the Treasury stated ran a firm accused of handling funds and payroll for the recruitment operation. "In 2024 and 2025, companies in the United States linked to Duque engaged in multiple financial transactions, amounting to millions," the official announcement said.

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

"The United States again calls on outside forces to stop giving monetary and weaponry aid to the combatants," the agency stated.

Reaction

An expert, from a conflict think tank, called the measures as a "major" step, noting that "calling out those who are doing the contracting is the proper strategy".

Furthermore, Colombia recently passed a piece of legislation approving the International Convention Against the Recruitment and Use of Mercenaries, seeking to reduce decades of Colombian involvement in foreign conflicts and transform its security approach.

Another expert, a scholar on the subject, advised additional measures, saying that "sanctions are necessary but insufficient for combating rampant mercenarism".

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