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The Washington has enforced penalties on a group of several persons and entities charged of recruiting Colombian mercenaries to support and educate a armed faction in Sudan that Washington accuses of acts of genocide.

Network Composition

Disclosing the restrictions on Tuesday, the US Treasury Department stated the operation was largely composed of individuals and businesses from Colombia.

Numerous of former Colombian military personnel have reportedly travelled to Sudan to fight alongside the Sudanese RSF militia, a force accused of severe violations encompassing massacres based on ethnicity and large-scale abductions.

Emergence of Involvement

The role of these mercenaries was first uncovered in 2024, following an report which found that hundreds of retired troops had been recruited to engage in combat – an revelation that prompted an unprecedented apology from Colombia’s foreign ministry.

These South American veterans have historically been seen as among the world’s most sought-after mercenaries due to their extensive battlefield experience acquired during decades of civil war, training on advanced weaponry, and elite military instruction.

Reported Actions

In Sudan, the contractors have been accused of teaching minors, provided drone warfare training, and engaged in frontline combat. One source was quoted as saying that training children was "awful and crazy" but added that "regrettably, war operates that way".

Targeted Persons

Among those penalized was Álvaro Andrés Quijano Becerra, a citizen of both Colombia and Italy and former army officer operating from the Dubai. The US authorities said he had a key part in hiring and sending ex-military personnel to Sudan. His wife, Claudia Oliveros, was also sanctioned.

Also on the penalty list was Mateo Duque Botero, a dual national who the Treasury stated oversaw a company linked to processing money and salaries for the network. "In 2024 and 2025, companies in the United States connected to Duque carried out multiple financial transactions, totalling millions of US dollars," the government release stated.

Colombian national Mónica Muñoz was the other individual to be penalized, with the firm she operated said to have conducted financial transactions linked to Duque and his operations.

"The United States again calls on outside forces to cease providing financial and military support to the combatants," the agency announced.

Analyst Commentary

An expert, senior analyst at the International Crisis Group, described the sanctions as a "major" development, noting that "calling out those who are doing the contracting is the correct approach".

It was also noted that, Colombia has enacted a piece of legislation approving the global treaty against mercenarism, seeking to reduce years of participation by its nationals in foreign conflicts and change domestic defense strategy.

A mercenary specialist, a scholar on the subject, advised additional measures, noting that "restrictions are needed but not enough for addressing widespread use of contractors".

"This is a shadow economy and operating from the Emirates, which is difficult to penalize," he said. The Emirati government has been repeatedly implicated of supplying weapons to the paramilitary group, claims it rejects. "This trend will probably continue," the expert cautioned.