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The Washington has enforced penalties on a group of four people and four firms accused of hiring South American contractors to fight for and train a militia force in Sudan that Washington accuses of genocidal acts.

Operation Structure

Revealing the restrictions on this week, the US Treasury Department stated the operation was primarily made up of individuals and businesses from Colombia.

Numerous of retired Colombian troops have reportedly travelled to the conflict in Sudan to operate with the RSF paramilitary group, a group linked to horrific war crimes including ethnically targeted slaughter and large-scale abductions.

Discovery of Participation

The involvement of Colombian fighters was first uncovered in 2024, following an inquiry which found that over three hundred former soldiers had been contracted to engage in combat – an discovery that resulted in an unprecedented apology from the Colombian government.

Colombian ex-soldiers 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 superior tactical education.

Role in the Conflict

In Sudan, the Colombians have reportedly trained minors, taught fighters to pilot drones, and fought directly on the frontlines. An individual involved remarked that working with child soldiers was "horrific and irrational" but noted 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 located in the Dubai. The government alleged he played a central role in enlisting and transporting former Colombian soldiers to Sudan. His spouse, Claudia Oliveros, was penalized as well.

Also on the penalty list was Mateo Andrés Duque Botero, a individual with Colombian and Spanish citizenship who officials alleged ran a firm implicated in managing finances and payments for the network. "In 2024 and 2025, US-based firms associated with Duque carried out several money transfers, totalling millions of US dollars," the government release said.

Individual Mónica Muñoz Ucros was the other individual to be targeted, with the firm she operated accused of financial transactions associated with Duque and his businesses.

"The US once more urges foreign parties to halt the flow of funding and arms to the belligerents," the agency said in a statement.

Reaction

An expert, from a conflict think tank, called the actions as a "very significant" milestone, noting that "identifying the recruiters is the right way to go".

It was also noted that, Colombia ratified a piece of legislation endorsing the anti-mercenary convention, aiming to curb decades of Colombian involvement in foreign conflicts and transform its security approach.

Another expert, a scholar on the subject, advised additional measures, saying that "restrictions are needed but not enough for combating widespread use of contractors".

"This is a shadow economy and based out of the UAE, which is relatively sanction-proof," he stated. The Emirati government has been widely accused of arming the RSF, claims it rejects. "This trend will probably continue," he advised.