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The Washington has levied restrictions on a group of four people and four firms accused of enlisting former Colombian soldiers to fight for and train a Sudanese paramilitary group that Washington accuses of committing genocide.

Operation Structure

Revealing the restrictions on this week, the US Treasury Department stated the network was mostly comprised of Colombian nationals and companies.

Scores of ex-soldiers from Colombia have been recruited to go to the Sudanese warzone to operate with the RSF paramilitary group, a faction implicated in severe violations including massacres based on ethnicity and mass abductions.

Discovery of Participation

The participation of ex-soldiers was first uncovered last year, after an inquiry which revealed that over three hundred former soldiers had been recruited to participate in the war – an discovery that led to an unusual statement of regret from officials in Bogotá.

These South American veterans have long been considered as some of the most in-demand contractors globally due to their vast combat experience acquired during decades of civil war, familiarity with Nato equipment, and elite military instruction.

Activities in Sudan

In the conflict, the Colombians have reportedly trained child soldiers, instructed militiamen in drone operation, and engaged in frontline combat. One source remarked that working with child soldiers was "terrible and insane" but added that "sadly, that is the nature of conflict".

Targeted Persons

Among those penalized was Álvaro Andrés Quijano Becerra, a citizen of both Colombia and Italy and ex-soldier located in the UAE. The Treasury alleged he played a key part in enlisting and transporting mercenaries to Sudan. His spouse, Claudia Oliveros, was also sanctioned.

Also on the sanctions list was Duque Botero, a dual national who the Treasury stated oversaw a company implicated in handling funds and payroll for the network. "In 2024 and 2025, US-based firms linked to Duque conducted multiple financial transactions, worth millions," the official announcement said.

Citizen of Colombia Mónica Muñoz Ucros was the other individual to be sanctioned, with the company she managed said to have conducted money transfers linked to Duque and his operations.

"The United States again calls on external actors to cease providing monetary and weaponry aid to the combatants," the agency said in a statement.

Analyst Commentary

A senior analyst, senior analyst at the International Crisis Group, called the actions as a "very significant" development, noting that "targeting the enablers is the correct approach".

She added that, the Colombian government ratified a law endorsing the anti-mercenary convention, designed to limit its citizens' long history in foreign conflicts and change national security policy.

Sean McFate, an expert on mercenaries, called for greater wariness, stating that "restrictions are needed but not enough for combating rampant mercenarism".

"This is a shadow economy and based out of the UAE, which is relatively sanction-proof," he commented. The United Arab Emirates has been repeatedly implicated of arming the RSF, allegations it disputes. "More contractors from Colombia are likely," he advised.