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The Washington has imposed sanctions on a operation of four people and four firms accused of recruiting Colombian mercenaries to fight for and train a militia force in Sudan the United States claims of acts of genocide.

Operation Structure

Revealing the restrictions on this week, the US Treasury Department stated the network was primarily made up of Colombian citizens and firms.

Hundreds of retired Colombian troops have reportedly travelled to the conflict in Sudan to fight alongside the Sudanese RSF militia, a group implicated in horrific war crimes encompassing massacres based on ethnicity and large-scale abductions.

Emergence of Involvement

The role of these mercenaries initially emerged the previous year, prompted by an inquiry which revealed that over three hundred former soldiers had been hired to engage in combat – an revelation that led to an unusual statement of regret from officials in Bogotá.

Former Colombian military have widely regarded as some of the most in-demand contractors globally due to their extensive battlefield experience acquired during years of internal conflict, familiarity with advanced weaponry, and high-level combat training.

Role in the Conflict

In the Sudanese theater, the Colombians have reportedly trained child soldiers, provided drone warfare training, and participated in direct battles. An individual involved was quoted as saying that working with child soldiers was "awful and crazy" but added that "unfortunately that’s how war is".

Sanctioned Individuals

Among those targeted was Álvaro Andrés Quijano Becerra, a citizen of both Colombia and Italy and retired Colombian military officer located in the United Arab Emirates. The government alleged he played a pivotal function in recruiting and deploying former Colombian soldiers to Sudan. His wife, Claudia Viviana Oliveros Forero, was also sanctioned.

Also on the penalty list was Mateo Andrés Duque Botero, a individual with Colombian and Spanish citizenship who the Treasury stated oversaw a company accused of processing money and salaries for the scheme. "In 2024 and 2025, American entities connected to Duque carried out multiple financial transactions, amounting to millions," the official announcement noted.

Individual Mónica Muñoz was the fourth individual to be sanctioned, with the entity she oversaw alleged to have money transfers linked to Duque and his businesses.

"Washington reiterates its demand for outside forces to stop giving funding and arms to the belligerents," the department said in a statement.

Analyst Commentary

Elizabeth Dickinson, from a conflict think tank, labeled the measures as a "highly important" step, saying that "targeting the enablers is the right way to go".

It was also noted that, Colombia has enacted a piece of legislation endorsing the anti-mercenary convention, seeking to reduce decades of Colombian involvement in foreign conflicts and change domestic defense strategy.

Sean McFate, a scholar on the subject, urged more caution, noting that "restrictions are needed but not enough for dealing with widespread use of contractors".

"It’s an illicit economy and operating from the UAE, which is relatively sanction-proof," he said. The United Arab Emirates has been repeatedly implicated of supplying weapons to the paramilitary group, allegations it disputes. "Expect more Colombian mercenaries," he advised.