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The Washington has enforced penalties on a network of four individuals and four companies accused of enlisting Colombian mercenaries to combat alongside and instruct a Sudanese paramilitary group which the US alleges of genocidal acts.

Network Composition

Revealing the restrictions on this week, the American treasury stated the scheme was primarily made up of Colombian nationals and companies.

Hundreds of former Colombian military personnel have reportedly travelled to the Sudanese warzone to fight alongside the Sudanese RSF militia, a force implicated in severe violations such as ethnically targeted slaughter and large-scale abductions.

Revelation of Role

The participation of ex-soldiers first came to light the previous year, prompted by an investigation which disclosed that hundreds of retired troops had been recruited to engage in combat – an discovery that prompted an unprecedented apology from Colombia’s foreign ministry.

Colombian ex-soldiers have widely regarded as highly prized fighters in conflict zones due to their vast combat experience acquired during years of internal conflict, training on Nato equipment, and superior tactical education.

Activities in Sudan

In the conflict, the mercenaries have reportedly trained underage fighters, provided drone warfare training, and engaged in frontline combat. One source was quoted as saying that working with child soldiers was "awful and crazy" but noted that "sadly, that is the nature of conflict".

Named Entities

Among those targeted was Álvaro Andrés Quijano Becerra, a citizen of both Colombia and Italy and retired Colombian military officer operating from the United Arab Emirates. The government alleged he played a pivotal function in enlisting and transporting ex-military personnel to Sudan. His spouse, Claudia Oliveros, was also sanctioned.

Also on the restricted list was Mateo Duque Botero, a dual Colombian-Spanish citizen who authorities say ran a firm implicated in processing money and salaries for the recruitment operation. "In 2024 and 2025, US-based firms connected to Duque conducted numerous wire transfers, amounting to millions," the official announcement noted.

Colombian national Mónica Muñoz was the fourth individual to be penalized, with the company she managed alleged to have money transfers associated with Duque and his businesses.

"The US once more urges foreign parties to stop giving monetary and weaponry aid to the warring parties," the department stated.

Reaction

Elizabeth Dickinson, with the International Crisis Group, called the sanctions as a "highly important" step, stating that "targeting the enablers is the right way to go".

She added that, Colombia recently passed a statute ratifying the International Convention Against the Recruitment and Use of Mercenaries, designed to limit decades of Colombian involvement in overseas wars and transform its security approach.

A mercenary specialist, an expert on mercenaries, advised additional measures, noting that "penalties are required yet incomplete for combating rampant mercenarism".

"This is a shadow economy and centered in the UAE, which is relatively sanction-proof," he commented. The Emirati government has been repeatedly implicated of supplying weapons to the paramilitary group, claims it rejects. "This trend will probably continue," he advised.