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The US government has imposed sanctions on a group of four people and four firms alleged of hiring South American contractors to combat alongside and instruct a Sudanese paramilitary group the United States claims of committing genocide.

Operation Structure

Announcing the restrictions on Tuesday, the American treasury stated the network was primarily made up of individuals and businesses from Colombia.

Numerous of former Colombian military personnel have allegedly journeyed to the Sudanese warzone to operate with the Sudanese RSF militia, a faction accused of severe violations including ethnically targeted slaughter and large-scale abductions.

Emergence of Involvement

The role of these mercenaries first came to light the previous year, after an report which revealed that hundreds of ex-military personnel had been recruited to engage in combat – an revelation that resulted in an unusual statement of regret from officials in Bogotá.

Former Colombian military have widely regarded as highly prized fighters in conflict zones due to their vast combat experience resulting from a long-running domestic war, knowledge of Western military gear, and high-level combat training.

Role in the Conflict

In the conflict, the Colombians have been accused of teaching child soldiers, instructed militiamen in drone operation, and engaged in frontline combat. One source remarked that working with child soldiers was "terrible and insane" but added that "sadly, that is the nature of conflict".

Targeted Persons

Among those penalized was Álvaro Andrés Quijano Becerra, a individual with dual citizenship and retired Colombian military officer operating from the Dubai. The Treasury alleged he played a central role in recruiting and deploying mercenaries to Sudan. His spouse, Claudia Oliveros, was also sanctioned.

Also on the penalty list was Mateo Andrés Duque Botero, a dual Colombian-Spanish citizen who the Treasury stated managed a business linked to processing money and salaries for the recruitment operation. "In 2024 and 2025, companies in the United States connected to Duque carried out numerous wire transfers, totalling millions of US dollars," the official announcement said.

Individual Mónica Muñoz was the fourth individual to be targeted, with the company she managed said to have conducted money transfers connected to Duque and his businesses.

"Washington reiterates its demand for foreign parties to stop giving funding and arms to the combatants," the Treasury announced.

Reaction

An expert, from a conflict think tank, described the actions as a "major" development, saying that "targeting the enablers is the right way to go".

She added that, the Colombian government recently passed a piece of legislation approving the anti-mercenary convention, aiming to curb its citizens' long history in foreign conflicts and change national security policy.

Sean McFate, an expert on mercenaries, called for greater wariness, noting that "sanctions are necessary but insufficient for addressing rampant mercenarism".

"It’s an illicit economy and based out of the UAE, which is largely insulated from sanctions," he said. The UAE has been widely accused of supplying weapons to the paramilitary group, claims it rejects. "More contractors from Colombia are likely," he advised.