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The US government has levied restrictions on a network of four people and four firms charged of enlisting Colombian mercenaries to support and educate a armed faction in Sudan that Washington accuses of committing genocide.

Operation Structure

Disclosing the restrictions on this week, the American treasury stated the scheme was mostly comprised of Colombian nationals and companies.

Numerous of former Colombian military personnel have allegedly journeyed to the Sudanese warzone to operate with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a faction implicated in severe violations such as ethnically targeted slaughter and mass abductions.

Revelation of Role

The involvement of Colombian fighters initially emerged last year, prompted by an investigation which disclosed that over three hundred ex-military personnel had been contracted to participate in the war – an discovery that resulted in an rare mea culpa from the Colombian government.

Former Colombian military have long been considered as some of the most in-demand contractors globally due to their extensive battlefield experience resulting from a long-running domestic war, training on advanced weaponry, and high-level combat training.

Activities in Sudan

In the Sudanese theater, the Colombians have reportedly trained minors, taught fighters to pilot drones, and fought directly on the frontlines. A mercenary remarked that training children was "horrific and irrational" but commented that "regrettably, war operates that way".

Targeted Persons

Among those sanctioned was Álvaro Andrés Quijano Becerra, a citizen of both Colombia and Italy and former army officer operating from the Dubai. The US authorities said he had a central role in recruiting and deploying ex-military personnel to Sudan. His spouse, Claudia Oliveros, was penalized as well.

Also on the sanctions list was Mateo Duque Botero, a dual Colombian-Spanish citizen who authorities say oversaw a company implicated in processing money and salaries for the recruitment operation. "In 2024 and 2025, US-based firms associated with Duque engaged in numerous wire transfers, amounting to millions," the Treasury statement noted.

Colombian national Mónica Muñoz Ucros was the fourth individual to be sanctioned, with the entity she oversaw said to have conducted money transfers linked to Duque and his companies.

"Washington reiterates its demand for outside forces to stop giving monetary and weaponry aid to the warring parties," the department stated.

Expert Analysis

An expert, senior analyst at the International Crisis Group, described the actions as a "highly important" milestone, noting that "calling out those who are doing the contracting is the proper strategy".

It was also noted that, Bogotá ratified a statute endorsing the global treaty against mercenarism, seeking to reduce years of participation by its nationals in international fights and reshape national security policy.

A mercenary specialist, a scholar on the subject, called for greater wariness, saying that "restrictions are needed but not enough for addressing the growing mercenary trade".

"It’s an illicit economy and based out of the UAE, which is difficult to penalize," he stated. The United Arab Emirates has been frequently alleged of providing arms to the militia, an accusation it has denied. "Expect more Colombian mercenaries," McFate warned.