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The US government has enforced penalties on a group of four people and four firms accused of recruiting former Colombian soldiers to fight for and train a armed faction in Sudan which the US alleges of genocidal acts.

Operation Structure

Announcing the sanctions on Tuesday, the Treasury stated the operation was primarily made up of Colombian nationals and companies.

Scores of former Colombian military personnel have allegedly journeyed to Sudan to combat beside the Sudanese RSF militia, a force linked to severe violations encompassing ethnically targeted slaughter and large-scale abductions.

Discovery of Participation

The participation of ex-soldiers first came to light in 2024, following an investigation which found that hundreds of retired troops had been recruited to participate in the war – an event that prompted an unusual statement of regret from the Colombian government.

These South American veterans have widely regarded as some of the most in-demand contractors globally due to their considerable warzone knowledge resulting from decades of civil war, training on Nato equipment, and elite military instruction.

Reported Actions

In Sudan, the mercenaries have been accused of teaching minors, provided drone warfare training, and engaged in frontline combat. An individual involved previously stated that working with child soldiers was "terrible and insane" but noted that "regrettably, war operates that way".

Named Entities

Among those penalized was Álvaro Andrés Quijano Becerra, a citizen of both Colombia and Italy and retired Colombian military officer based in the UAE. The Treasury accused him a pivotal function in recruiting and deploying ex-military personnel to Sudan. His spouse, Claudia Oliveros, was similarly targeted.

Also on the sanctions list was Mateo Duque Botero, a dual national who authorities say oversaw a company linked to processing money and salaries for the network. "Over the past two years, American entities connected to Duque engaged in numerous wire transfers, totalling millions of US dollars," the official announcement noted.

Colombian national Mónica Muñoz Ucros was the fourth individual to be sanctioned, with the firm she operated said to have conducted money transfers connected to Duque and his operations.

"Washington reiterates its demand for outside forces to cease providing funding and arms to the combatants," the department said in a statement.

Analyst Commentary

Elizabeth Dickinson, from a conflict think tank, labeled the actions as a "major" development, noting that "calling out those who are doing the contracting is the proper strategy".

Furthermore, Colombia recently passed a statute approving the anti-mercenary convention, seeking to reduce its citizens' long history in overseas wars and reshape national security policy.

A mercenary specialist, an expert on mercenaries, advised additional measures, saying that "restrictions are needed but not enough for combating the growing mercenary trade".

"It operates in the black market and operating from the UAE, which is difficult to penalize," he stated. The UAE has been widely accused of arming the RSF, allegations it disputes. "This trend will probably continue," the expert cautioned.