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The US government has enforced penalties on a operation of several persons and entities charged of recruiting South American contractors to combat alongside and instruct a armed faction in Sudan which the US alleges of genocidal acts.

Network Composition

Announcing the restrictions on Tuesday, the US Treasury Department stated the network was largely composed of Colombian citizens and firms.

Numerous of former Colombian military personnel have reportedly travelled to the Sudanese warzone to fight alongside the RSF paramilitary group, a force accused of terrible atrocities such as massacres based on ethnicity and widespread kidnappings.

Emergence of Involvement

The participation of ex-soldiers initially emerged in 2024, after an investigation which revealed that more than 300 ex-military personnel had been recruited to participate in the war – an revelation that led to an unusual statement of regret from Colombia’s foreign ministry.

Colombian ex-soldiers have long been considered as highly prized fighters in conflict zones due to their considerable warzone knowledge resulting from decades of civil war, familiarity with Western military gear, and high-level combat training.

Reported Actions

In the conflict, the mercenaries have been accused of teaching underage fighters, instructed militiamen in drone operation, and engaged in frontline combat. A mercenary previously stated that training children was "awful and crazy" but commented that "sadly, that is the nature of conflict".

Named Entities

Among those targeted was Álvaro Andrés Quijano Becerra, a citizen of both Colombia and Italy and ex-soldier located in the UAE. The US authorities accused him a central role in hiring and sending ex-military personnel to Sudan. His wife, Claudia Viviana Oliveros Forero, was also sanctioned.

Also on the penalty list was Mateo Duque Botero, a individual with Colombian and Spanish citizenship who officials alleged managed a business accused of handling funds and payroll for the scheme. "In 2024 and 2025, companies in the United States associated with Duque engaged in numerous wire transfers, totalling millions of US dollars," the government release stated.

Individual Mónica Muñoz Ucros was the final person to be sanctioned, with the company she managed accused of wire transfers linked to Duque and his businesses.

"Washington reiterates its demand for outside forces to stop giving monetary and weaponry aid to the belligerents," the department said in a statement.

Reaction

An expert, from a conflict think tank, labeled the actions as a "highly important" step, noting that "calling out those who are doing the contracting is the right way to go".

She added that, the Colombian government recently passed a law endorsing the International Convention Against the Recruitment and Use of Mercenaries, seeking to reduce years of participation by its nationals in foreign conflicts and transform domestic defense strategy.

Another expert, a scholar on the subject, advised additional measures, saying that "sanctions are necessary but insufficient for combating the growing mercenary trade".

"It operates in the black market and based out of Dubai, which is largely insulated from sanctions," he said. The UAE has been frequently alleged of supplying weapons to the paramilitary group, allegations it disputes. "More contractors from Colombia are likely," McFate warned.