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The United States has levied restrictions on a operation of four people and four firms charged of recruiting former Colombian soldiers to support and educate a Sudanese paramilitary group the United States claims of acts of genocide.

Network Composition

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

Scores of former Colombian military personnel have been recruited to go to Sudan to fight alongside the Sudanese RSF militia, a faction implicated in severe violations including massacres based on ethnicity and widespread kidnappings.

Emergence of Involvement

The role of these mercenaries initially emerged the previous year, following an investigation which found that over three hundred former soldiers had been hired to participate in the war – an event that prompted an rare mea culpa from officials in Bogotá.

Colombian ex-soldiers have widely regarded as among the world’s most sought-after mercenaries due to their vast combat experience acquired during decades of civil war, training on Western military gear, and superior tactical education.

Reported Actions

In Sudan, the mercenaries have allegedly instructed child soldiers, taught fighters to pilot drones, and participated in direct battles. One source was quoted as saying that working with child soldiers was "horrific and irrational" but added that "regrettably, war operates that way".

Named Entities

Among those penalized was Álvaro Andrés Quijano Becerra, a dual Colombian-Italian national and retired Colombian military officer operating from the Dubai. The Treasury alleged he played a central role in enlisting and transporting ex-military personnel to Sudan. His spouse, Claudia Oliveros, was similarly targeted.

Also on the restricted list was Mateo Andrés Duque Botero, a individual with Colombian and Spanish citizenship who officials alleged managed a business linked to handling funds and payroll for the network. "In 2024 and 2025, American entities linked to Duque conducted multiple financial transactions, worth millions," the government release said.

Colombian national Mónica Muñoz Ucros was the fourth individual to be penalized, with the company she managed accused of money transfers associated with Duque and his businesses.

"The US once more urges outside forces to cease providing monetary and weaponry aid to the belligerents," the department stated.

Reaction

An expert, with the International Crisis Group, labeled the actions as a "very significant" step, stating that "targeting the enablers is the proper strategy".

It was also noted that, Bogotá recently passed a law approving the International Convention Against the Recruitment and Use of Mercenaries, aiming to curb its citizens' long history in international fights and change national security policy.

Another expert, a scholar on the subject, advised additional measures, stating that "restrictions are needed but not enough for addressing the growing mercenary trade".

"It operates in the black market and operating from the UAE, which is largely insulated from sanctions," he commented. The UAE has been widely accused of providing arms to the militia, allegations it disputes. "This trend will probably continue," he advised.