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The US government has imposed sanctions on a network of several persons and entities accused of hiring Colombian mercenaries to fight for and train a armed faction in Sudan the United States claims of committing genocide.

Network Composition

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

Hundreds of ex-soldiers from Colombia have allegedly journeyed to Sudan to fight alongside the RSF paramilitary group, a group linked to horrific war crimes such as targeted ethnic killings and large-scale abductions.

Discovery of Participation

The role of these mercenaries initially emerged in 2024, after an inquiry which revealed that over three hundred ex-military personnel had been contracted to participate in the war – an event that led to an unprecedented apology from the Colombian government.

Former Colombian military have widely regarded as among the world’s most sought-after mercenaries due to their extensive battlefield experience gleaned from a long-running domestic war, knowledge of Western military gear, and high-level combat training.

Activities in Sudan

In Sudan, the Colombians have reportedly trained minors, instructed militiamen in drone operation, and engaged in frontline combat. A mercenary was quoted as saying that training children was "horrific and irrational" but noted that "regrettably, war operates that way".

Targeted Persons

Among those targeted was Álvaro Andrés Quijano Becerra, a dual Colombian-Italian national and retired Colombian military officer located in the Dubai. The government accused him a central role in recruiting and deploying former Colombian soldiers to Sudan. His wife, Claudia Oliveros, was penalized as well.

Also on the restricted list was Mateo Andrés Duque Botero, a dual national who officials alleged oversaw a company implicated in managing finances and payments for the recruitment operation. "In 2024 and 2025, US-based firms associated with Duque conducted numerous wire transfers, totalling millions of US dollars," the official announcement stated.

Citizen of Colombia Mónica Muñoz Ucros was the other individual to be targeted, with the firm she operated alleged to have wire transfers associated with Duque and his companies.

"The US once more urges foreign parties to cease providing financial and military support to the warring parties," the department stated.

Reaction

An expert, with the International Crisis Group, described the measures as a "very significant" development, stating that "identifying the recruiters is the proper strategy".

She added that, Colombia has enacted a piece of legislation approving the International Convention Against the Recruitment and Use of Mercenaries, seeking to reduce years of participation by its nationals in foreign conflicts and reshape domestic defense strategy.

Another expert, an expert on mercenaries, advised additional measures, stating that "penalties are required yet incomplete for addressing widespread use of contractors".

"It’s an illicit economy and operating from the UAE, which is difficult to penalize," he said. The UAE has been repeatedly implicated of arming the RSF, an accusation it has denied. "This trend will probably continue," the expert cautioned.