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The United States has levied restrictions on a network of four individuals and four companies alleged of recruiting former Colombian soldiers to support and educate a militia force in Sudan which the US alleges of acts of genocide.

Network Composition

Revealing the sanctions on this week, the American treasury stated the operation was mostly comprised of individuals and businesses from Colombia.

Numerous of retired Colombian troops have been recruited to go to Sudan to operate with the RSF paramilitary group, a faction implicated in horrific war crimes such as massacres based on ethnicity and widespread kidnappings.

Revelation of Role

The role of these mercenaries first came to light in 2024, after an report which disclosed that hundreds of former soldiers had been recruited to fight – an revelation that led to an unusual statement of regret from the Colombian government.

Colombian ex-soldiers have widely regarded as some of the most in-demand contractors globally due to their considerable warzone knowledge gleaned from a long-running domestic war, familiarity with advanced weaponry, and elite military instruction.

Reported Actions

In the conflict, the contractors have reportedly trained minors, instructed militiamen in drone operation, and engaged in frontline combat. A mercenary was quoted as saying that working with child soldiers was "awful and crazy" but added that "regrettably, war operates that way".

Targeted Persons

Among those sanctioned was Álvaro Andrés Quijano Becerra, a individual with dual citizenship and former army officer operating from the UAE. The Treasury accused him a pivotal function in hiring and sending ex-military personnel to Sudan. His wife, Claudia Viviana Oliveros Forero, was penalized as well.

Also on the sanctions list was Mateo Andrés Duque Botero, a dual national who the Treasury stated ran a firm linked to handling funds and payroll for the network. "Over the past two years, American entities connected to Duque carried out several money transfers, totalling millions of US dollars," the government release stated.

Citizen of Colombia Mónica Muñoz Ucros was the final person to be sanctioned, with the firm she operated alleged to have financial transactions connected to Duque and his operations.

"The US once more urges foreign parties to halt the flow of monetary and weaponry aid to the belligerents," the department said in a statement.

Reaction

Elizabeth Dickinson, with the International Crisis Group, described the actions as a "highly important" step, noting that "targeting the enablers is the proper strategy".

She added that, the Colombian government has enacted a statute approving the global treaty against mercenarism, designed to limit years of participation by its nationals in overseas wars and reshape domestic defense strategy.

Another expert, a scholar on the subject, called for greater wariness, stating that "sanctions are necessary but insufficient for addressing widespread use of contractors".

"This is a shadow economy and based out of Dubai, which is relatively sanction-proof," he said. The United Arab Emirates has been repeatedly implicated of providing arms to the militia, an accusation it has denied. "This trend will probably continue," he advised.