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The US government has enforced penalties on a network of four individuals and four companies accused of recruiting Colombian mercenaries to support and educate a armed faction in Sudan which the US alleges of acts of genocide.

Network Composition

Revealing the sanctions on this week, the US Treasury Department stated the operation was largely composed of Colombian nationals and companies.

Numerous of ex-soldiers from Colombia have reportedly travelled to Sudan to operate with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a force accused of horrific war crimes encompassing ethnically targeted slaughter and mass abductions.

Discovery of Participation

The participation of ex-soldiers was first uncovered the previous year, prompted by an investigation which disclosed that hundreds of ex-military personnel had been hired to participate in the war – an event that prompted an unprecedented apology from the Colombian government.

Colombian ex-soldiers have widely regarded as among the world’s most sought-after mercenaries due to their extensive battlefield experience gleaned from decades of civil war, training on advanced weaponry, and high-level combat training.

Activities in Sudan

In the Sudanese theater, the mercenaries have allegedly instructed underage fighters, taught fighters to pilot drones, and engaged in frontline combat. An individual involved remarked that instructing minors was "horrific and irrational" but commented that "unfortunately that’s how war is".

Sanctioned Individuals

Among those penalized was Álvaro Andrés Quijano Becerra, a individual with dual citizenship and ex-soldier operating from the United Arab Emirates. The government alleged he played a pivotal function in enlisting and transporting mercenaries to Sudan. His spouse, Claudia Oliveros, was similarly targeted.

Also on the penalty list was Duque Botero, a dual Colombian-Spanish citizen who officials alleged ran a firm accused of processing money and salaries for the recruitment operation. "In 2024 and 2025, companies in the United States linked to Duque engaged in several money transfers, amounting to millions," the official announcement said.

Colombian national Mónica Muñoz was the fourth individual to be sanctioned, with the company she managed alleged to have wire transfers linked to Duque and his companies.

"Washington reiterates its demand for external actors to halt the flow of financial and military support to the belligerents," the department announced.

Analyst Commentary

A senior analyst, from a conflict think tank, described the measures as a "major" development, noting that "calling out those who are doing the contracting is the correct approach".

She added that, Colombia ratified a statute endorsing the anti-mercenary convention, aiming to curb its citizens' long history in international fights and reshape domestic defense strategy.

Another expert, a scholar on the subject, urged more caution, noting that "sanctions are necessary but insufficient for addressing widespread use of contractors".

"It’s an illicit economy and operating from the UAE, which is largely insulated from sanctions," he said. The UAE has been repeatedly implicated of providing arms to the militia, claims it rejects. "Expect more Colombian mercenaries," McFate warned.