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The US government has imposed sanctions on a network of four individuals and four companies alleged of recruiting former Colombian soldiers to support and educate a militia force in Sudan the United States claims of acts of genocide.

Network Composition

Revealing the restrictions on Tuesday, the Treasury stated the network was mostly comprised of Colombian nationals and companies.

Hundreds of retired Colombian troops have reportedly travelled to the Sudanese warzone to fight alongside the RSF paramilitary group, a faction accused of horrific war crimes encompassing ethnically targeted slaughter and mass abductions.

Emergence of Involvement

The role of these mercenaries was first uncovered last year, following an inquiry which found that over three hundred retired troops had been hired to fight – an event that led to an unusual statement of regret from the Colombian government.

Colombian ex-soldiers have long been considered as among the world’s most sought-after mercenaries due to their extensive battlefield experience gleaned from decades of civil war, familiarity with advanced weaponry, and superior tactical education.

Reported Actions

In the Sudanese theater, the Colombians have reportedly trained minors, taught fighters to pilot drones, and engaged in frontline combat. One source remarked that instructing minors was "horrific and irrational" but added that "regrettably, war operates that way".

Sanctioned Individuals

Among those penalized was Álvaro Andrés Quijano Becerra, a dual Colombian-Italian national and former army officer located in the Dubai. The government alleged he played a central role in hiring and sending mercenaries to Sudan. His wife, Claudia Oliveros, was also sanctioned.

Also on the sanctions list was Mateo Andrés Duque Botero, a dual national who officials alleged oversaw a company linked to managing finances and payments for the network. "In 2024 and 2025, US-based firms associated with Duque carried out numerous wire transfers, amounting to millions," the official announcement noted.

Colombian national Mónica Muñoz Ucros was the final person to be sanctioned, with the company she managed said to have conducted money transfers associated with Duque and his companies.

"The US once more urges external actors to stop giving monetary and weaponry aid to the belligerents," the agency announced.

Reaction

An expert, from a conflict think tank, called the measures as a "very significant" development, stating that "identifying the recruiters is the proper strategy".

It was also noted that, Bogotá ratified a law ratifying the anti-mercenary convention, seeking to reduce decades of Colombian involvement in overseas wars and transform its security approach.

Another expert, a scholar on the subject, advised additional measures, stating that "penalties are required yet incomplete for addressing the growing mercenary trade".

"This is a shadow economy and centered in the UAE, which is relatively sanction-proof," he commented. The Emirati government has been widely accused of supplying weapons to the paramilitary group, claims it rejects. "More contractors from Colombia are likely," McFate warned.