Washington Levies Restrictions on Group Accused of Recruiting South American Mercenaries to the Sudanese Conflict.

The US government has imposed sanctions on a network of four individuals and four companies charged of hiring Colombian mercenaries to fight for and train a armed faction in Sudan that Washington accuses of acts of genocide.

Operation Structure

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

Numerous of retired Colombian troops have allegedly journeyed to Sudan to fight alongside the RSF paramilitary group, a group implicated in severe violations including ethnically targeted slaughter and widespread kidnappings.

Emergence of Involvement

The involvement of Colombian fighters was first uncovered last year, after an inquiry which revealed that over three hundred retired troops had been hired to fight – an discovery that resulted in an unusual statement of regret from officials in Bogotá.

Former Colombian military have widely regarded as some of the most in-demand contractors globally due to their vast combat experience resulting from a long-running domestic war, training on Western military gear, and high-level combat training.

Activities in Sudan

In Sudan, the mercenaries have been accused of teaching minors, instructed militiamen in drone operation, and fought directly on the frontlines. One source previously stated that instructing minors was "awful and crazy" but noted that "sadly, that is the nature of conflict".

Targeted Persons

Among those penalized was Álvaro Andrés Quijano Becerra, a citizen of both Colombia and Italy and former army officer operating from the UAE. The US authorities said he had a pivotal function in recruiting and deploying former Colombian soldiers 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 oversaw a company accused of managing finances and payments for the network. "In 2024 and 2025, US-based firms connected to Duque engaged in multiple financial transactions, amounting to millions," the government release noted.

Colombian national Mónica Muñoz Ucros was the other individual to be sanctioned, with the entity she oversaw said to have conducted financial transactions connected to Duque and his operations.

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

Analyst Commentary

An expert, from a conflict think tank, labeled the measures as a "very significant" development, stating that "targeting the enablers is the right way to go".

She added that, Bogotá ratified a statute endorsing the anti-mercenary convention, designed to limit its citizens' long history in foreign conflicts and change its security approach.

Sean McFate, a scholar on the subject, urged more caution, noting that "penalties are required yet incomplete for addressing widespread use of contractors".

"It’s an illicit economy and operating from the Emirates, which is relatively sanction-proof," he commented. The UAE has been repeatedly implicated of providing arms to the militia, allegations it disputes. "More contractors from Colombia are likely," the expert cautioned.