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The US government has imposed sanctions on a network of four people and four firms charged of enlisting South American contractors to fight for and train a militia force in Sudan which the US alleges of genocidal acts.

Group Makeup

Announcing the measures on Tuesday, the American treasury stated the scheme was largely composed of individuals and businesses from Colombia.

Hundreds of former Colombian military personnel have allegedly journeyed to the conflict in Sudan to fight alongside the Sudanese RSF militia, a faction linked to horrific war crimes encompassing ethnically targeted slaughter and mass abductions.

Revelation of Role

The involvement of Colombian fighters initially emerged last year, after an investigation which found that over three hundred ex-military personnel had been contracted to engage in combat – an revelation that resulted in an unprecedented apology from the Colombian government.

Colombian ex-soldiers have historically been seen as some of the most in-demand contractors globally due to their extensive battlefield experience acquired during years of internal conflict, knowledge of Nato equipment, and elite military instruction.

Role in the Conflict

In the conflict, the contractors have allegedly instructed underage fighters, taught fighters to pilot drones, and engaged in frontline combat. One source remarked that training children was "terrible and insane" but added that "unfortunately that’s how war is".

Sanctioned Individuals

Among those sanctioned was Álvaro Andrés Quijano Becerra, a individual with dual citizenship and retired Colombian military officer based in the Dubai. The Treasury alleged he played a pivotal function in enlisting and transporting ex-military personnel to Sudan. His spouse, Claudia Viviana Oliveros Forero, was penalized as well.

Also on the restricted list was Mateo Duque Botero, a dual Colombian-Spanish citizen who the Treasury stated ran a firm implicated in managing finances and payments for the scheme. "In 2024 and 2025, companies in the United States connected to Duque conducted several money transfers, totalling millions of US dollars," the Treasury statement stated.

Citizen of Colombia Mónica Muñoz was the fourth individual to be targeted, with the company she managed alleged to have money transfers associated with Duque and his operations.

"The US once more urges foreign parties to halt the flow of funding and arms to the warring parties," the Treasury stated.

Reaction

A senior analyst, senior analyst at the International Crisis Group, labeled the measures as a "highly important" milestone, saying that "identifying the recruiters is the correct approach".

She added that, Colombia has enacted a statute endorsing the global treaty against mercenarism, designed to limit its citizens' long history in foreign conflicts and transform its security approach.

A mercenary specialist, an expert on mercenaries, advised additional measures, stating that "restrictions are needed but not enough for addressing rampant mercenarism".

"This is a shadow economy and centered in Dubai, which is largely insulated from sanctions," he said. The UAE has been repeatedly implicated of supplying weapons to the paramilitary group, claims it rejects. "Expect more Colombian mercenaries," he advised.