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The Washington has imposed sanctions on a operation of four people and four firms charged of recruiting Colombian mercenaries to support and educate a militia force in Sudan which the US alleges of genocidal acts.

Group Makeup

Announcing the measures on Tuesday, the Treasury stated the network was mostly comprised of Colombian nationals and companies.

Scores of former Colombian military personnel have been recruited to go to Sudan to fight alongside the RSF paramilitary group, a force linked to severe violations encompassing targeted ethnic killings and widespread kidnappings.

Emergence of Involvement

The involvement of Colombian fighters initially emerged the previous year, after an investigation which found that hundreds of retired troops had been hired to engage in combat – an discovery that led to an rare mea culpa from officials in Bogotá.

Former Colombian military have long been considered as some of the most in-demand contractors globally due to their extensive battlefield experience acquired during decades of civil war, training on Nato equipment, and superior tactical education.

Activities in Sudan

In Sudan, the contractors have been accused of teaching underage fighters, instructed militiamen in drone operation, and participated in direct battles. One source previously stated that training children was "horrific and irrational" but added that "sadly, that is the nature of conflict".

Sanctioned Individuals

Among those targeted was Álvaro Andrés Quijano Becerra, a individual with dual citizenship and ex-soldier based in the UAE. The government alleged he played a key part in recruiting and deploying ex-military personnel to Sudan. His spouse, Claudia Oliveros, was penalized as well.

Also on the sanctions list was Mateo Andrés Duque Botero, a dual Colombian-Spanish citizen who the Treasury stated managed a business implicated in handling funds and payroll for the network. "In 2024 and 2025, American entities connected to Duque engaged in numerous wire transfers, totalling millions of US dollars," the government release noted.

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

"The United States again calls on outside forces to stop giving funding and arms to the belligerents," the Treasury announced.

Expert Analysis

Elizabeth Dickinson, with the International Crisis Group, described the sanctions as a "major" milestone, saying that "targeting the enablers is the correct approach".

She added that, Colombia ratified a piece of legislation endorsing the anti-mercenary convention, aiming to curb its citizens' long history in foreign conflicts and transform its security approach.

Another expert, a authority on private military contractors, urged more caution, stating that "restrictions are needed but not enough for combating the growing mercenary trade".

"This is a shadow economy and centered in the UAE, which is difficult to penalize," he said. The United Arab Emirates has been repeatedly implicated of supplying weapons to the paramilitary group, allegations it disputes. "More contractors from Colombia are likely," the expert cautioned.