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The US government has imposed sanctions on a group of several persons and entities alleged of enlisting South American contractors to fight for and train a Sudanese paramilitary group that Washington accuses of acts of genocide.

Network Composition

Announcing the sanctions on this week, the US Treasury Department stated the scheme was mostly comprised of Colombian nationals and companies.

Scores of retired Colombian troops have reportedly travelled to Sudan to combat beside the RSF paramilitary group, a force linked to horrific war crimes such as massacres based on ethnicity and mass abductions.

Revelation of Role

The involvement of Colombian fighters initially emerged last year, prompted by an investigation which revealed that over three hundred retired troops had been contracted to participate in the war – an revelation that prompted an unusual statement of regret from Colombia’s foreign ministry.

Colombian ex-soldiers have widely regarded as highly prized fighters in conflict zones due to their vast combat experience gleaned from years of internal conflict, familiarity with advanced weaponry, and superior tactical education.

Activities in Sudan

In Sudan, the Colombians have allegedly instructed underage fighters, taught fighters to pilot drones, and engaged in frontline combat. A mercenary was quoted as saying that working with child soldiers was "terrible and insane" but commented that "sadly, that is the nature of conflict".

Named Entities

Among those penalized was Álvaro Andrés Quijano Becerra, a dual Colombian-Italian national and former army officer located in the UAE. The government said he had a central role in hiring and sending mercenaries to Sudan. His wife, Claudia Viviana Oliveros Forero, was penalized as well.

Also on the sanctions list was Mateo Duque Botero, a dual national who the Treasury stated ran a firm implicated in managing finances and payments for the scheme. "In 2024 and 2025, companies in the United States associated with Duque carried out multiple financial transactions, amounting to millions," the government release stated.

Citizen of Colombia Mónica Muñoz was the final person to be sanctioned, with the company she managed said to have conducted wire transfers associated with Duque and his operations.

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

Expert Analysis

Elizabeth Dickinson, senior analyst at the International Crisis Group, labeled the sanctions as a "major" development, noting that "identifying the recruiters is the correct approach".

It was also noted that, the Colombian government ratified a law ratifying the International Convention Against the Recruitment and Use of Mercenaries, designed to limit decades of Colombian involvement in foreign conflicts and change its security approach.

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

"This is a shadow economy and based out of Dubai, which is relatively sanction-proof," he commented. The United Arab Emirates has been widely accused of providing arms to the militia, claims it rejects. "Expect more Colombian mercenaries," the expert cautioned.