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The United States has imposed sanctions on a network of four individuals and four companies alleged of hiring former Colombian soldiers to fight for and train a armed faction in Sudan the United States claims of acts of genocide.

Network Composition

Disclosing the sanctions on this week, the American treasury stated the operation was largely composed of Colombian citizens and firms.

Hundreds of ex-soldiers from Colombia have reportedly travelled to the conflict in Sudan to fight alongside the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a group accused of horrific war crimes including targeted ethnic killings and large-scale abductions.

Revelation of Role

The involvement of Colombian fighters initially emerged the previous year, prompted by an report which found that hundreds of ex-military personnel had been hired to fight – an discovery that led to an rare mea culpa from the Colombian government.

Colombian ex-soldiers have widely regarded as among the world’s most sought-after mercenaries due to their considerable warzone knowledge gleaned from years of internal conflict, training on Nato equipment, and high-level combat training.

Activities in Sudan

In the conflict, the contractors have been accused of teaching underage fighters, taught fighters to pilot drones, and fought directly on the frontlines. An individual involved remarked that training children was "awful and crazy" but commented that "sadly, that is the nature of conflict".

Named Entities

Among those penalized was Álvaro Andrés Quijano Becerra, a individual with dual citizenship and former army officer based in the UAE. The government alleged he played a key part in enlisting and transporting ex-military personnel to Sudan. His spouse, Claudia Viviana Oliveros Forero, was similarly targeted.

Also on the penalty list was Mateo Duque Botero, a dual national who the Treasury stated ran a firm accused of processing money and salaries for the recruitment operation. "In 2024 and 2025, companies in the United States linked to Duque carried out numerous wire transfers, totalling millions of US dollars," the official announcement noted.

Colombian national Mónica Muñoz was the fourth individual to be penalized, with the firm she operated accused of wire transfers linked to Duque and his operations.

"The United States again calls on foreign parties to stop giving funding and arms to the warring parties," the department stated.

Expert Analysis

Elizabeth Dickinson, with the International Crisis Group, called the measures as a "major" milestone, stating that "calling out those who are doing the contracting is the proper strategy".

She added that, the Colombian government ratified a statute endorsing the anti-mercenary convention, designed to limit its citizens' long history in international fights and reshape its security approach.

Sean McFate, a scholar on the subject, urged more caution, saying that "sanctions are necessary but insufficient for addressing the growing mercenary trade".

"This is a shadow economy and operating from the UAE, which is difficult to penalize," he commented. The UAE has been repeatedly implicated of arming the RSF, an accusation it has denied. "Expect more Colombian mercenaries," McFate warned.