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The Washington has imposed sanctions on a group of several persons and entities charged of recruiting Colombian mercenaries to support and educate a armed faction in Sudan the United States claims of acts of genocide.

Network Composition

Disclosing the measures on Tuesday, the American treasury stated the operation 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 group linked to severe violations such as targeted ethnic killings and large-scale abductions.

Revelation of Role

The participation of ex-soldiers initially emerged the previous year, following an inquiry which found that more than 300 ex-military personnel had been hired to participate in the war – an discovery that resulted in an rare mea culpa from Colombia’s foreign ministry.

These South American veterans have widely regarded as highly prized fighters in conflict zones due to their vast combat experience resulting from years of internal conflict, training on Nato equipment, and elite military instruction.

Reported Actions

In the conflict, the contractors have been accused of teaching child soldiers, provided drone warfare training, and fought directly on the frontlines. An individual involved remarked that instructing minors was "terrible and insane" but commented that "regrettably, war operates that way".

Named Entities

Among those targeted was Álvaro Andrés Quijano Becerra, a individual with dual citizenship and ex-soldier operating from the United Arab Emirates. The US authorities alleged he played a key part in enlisting and transporting ex-military personnel to Sudan. His spouse, Claudia Oliveros, was also sanctioned.

Also on the restricted list was Duque Botero, a dual national who officials alleged managed a business accused of managing finances and payments for the network. "In 2024 and 2025, US-based firms linked to Duque carried out several money transfers, totalling millions of US dollars," the government release noted.

Individual Mónica Muñoz was the other individual to be sanctioned, with the firm she operated accused of money transfers linked to Duque and his operations.

"Washington reiterates its demand for external actors to cease providing funding and arms to the combatants," the department stated.

Reaction

An expert, with the International Crisis Group, described the measures as a "very significant" milestone, stating that "calling out those who are doing the contracting is the proper strategy".

She added that, Bogotá recently passed a law endorsing the anti-mercenary convention, designed to limit decades of Colombian involvement in foreign conflicts and transform national security policy.

Sean McFate, a scholar on the subject, called for greater wariness, saying that "sanctions are necessary but insufficient for dealing with rampant mercenarism".

"It operates in the black market and operating from the UAE, which is difficult to penalize," he stated. The United Arab Emirates has been frequently alleged of supplying weapons to the paramilitary group, an accusation it has denied. "More contractors from Colombia are likely," the expert cautioned.