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The Washington has levied restrictions on a group of several persons and entities charged of enlisting Colombian mercenaries to combat alongside and instruct a militia force in Sudan which the US alleges of acts of genocide.

Group Makeup

Disclosing the sanctions on Tuesday, the American treasury stated the network was largely composed of Colombian nationals and companies.

Numerous of ex-soldiers from Colombia have been recruited to go to the Sudanese warzone to fight alongside the RSF paramilitary group, a group accused of horrific war crimes encompassing ethnically targeted slaughter and large-scale abductions.

Discovery of Participation

The role of these mercenaries initially emerged in 2024, following an inquiry which revealed that over three hundred retired troops had been recruited to fight – an discovery that prompted an rare mea culpa from officials in Bogotá.

These South American veterans have long been considered as some of the most in-demand contractors globally due to their extensive battlefield experience gleaned from years of internal conflict, familiarity with Western military gear, and superior tactical education.

Reported Actions

In the Sudanese theater, the contractors have been accused of teaching underage fighters, provided drone warfare training, and fought directly on the frontlines. An individual involved previously stated that training children was "awful and crazy" but noted that "unfortunately that’s how war is".

Sanctioned Individuals

Among those sanctioned was Álvaro Andrés Quijano Becerra, a dual Colombian-Italian national and former army officer located in the Dubai. The Treasury said he had a central role in recruiting and deploying ex-military personnel to Sudan. His wife, Claudia Viviana Oliveros Forero, was penalized as well.

Also on the sanctions list was Duque Botero, a individual with Colombian and Spanish citizenship who officials alleged managed a business implicated in managing finances and payments for the scheme. "In 2024 and 2025, US-based firms linked to Duque engaged in numerous wire transfers, totalling millions of US dollars," the government release said.

Individual Mónica Muñoz was the other individual to be sanctioned, with the entity she oversaw accused of wire transfers connected to Duque and his companies.

"The US once more urges outside forces to stop giving funding and arms to the belligerents," the department announced.

Reaction

A senior analyst, senior analyst at the International Crisis Group, described the sanctions as a "highly important" development, noting that "calling out those who are doing the contracting is the correct approach".

Furthermore, Bogotá recently passed a law ratifying the global treaty against mercenarism, aiming to curb decades of Colombian involvement in international fights and change national security policy.

A mercenary specialist, an expert on mercenaries, advised additional measures, saying that "restrictions are needed but not enough for addressing the growing mercenary trade".

"It’s an illicit economy and operating from the Emirates, which is relatively sanction-proof," he commented. The United Arab Emirates has been frequently alleged of providing arms to the militia, an accusation it has denied. "Expect more Colombian mercenaries," he advised.