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The Washington has enforced penalties on a group of several persons and entities accused of enlisting Colombian mercenaries to support and educate a Sudanese paramilitary group the United States claims of genocidal acts.

Network Composition

Announcing the sanctions on Tuesday, the US Treasury Department stated the network was largely composed of Colombian citizens and firms.

Hundreds of former Colombian military personnel have allegedly journeyed to Sudan to operate with the Sudanese RSF militia, a group implicated in terrible atrocities encompassing ethnically targeted slaughter and large-scale abductions.

Emergence of Involvement

The involvement of Colombian fighters first came to light in 2024, after an inquiry which disclosed that over three hundred ex-military personnel had been hired to participate in the war – an discovery that prompted an unusual statement of regret from the Colombian government.

Colombian ex-soldiers have historically been seen as among the world’s most sought-after mercenaries due to their extensive battlefield experience resulting from years of internal conflict, knowledge of Nato equipment, and superior tactical education.

Reported Actions

In Sudan, the Colombians have been accused of teaching child soldiers, taught fighters to pilot drones, and engaged in frontline combat. An individual involved previously stated that working with child soldiers was "terrible and insane" but added that "sadly, that is the nature of conflict".

Targeted Persons

Among those sanctioned was Álvaro Andrés Quijano Becerra, a citizen of both Colombia and Italy and former army officer operating from the United Arab Emirates. The government said he had a key part in recruiting and deploying former Colombian soldiers to Sudan. His wife, Claudia Viviana Oliveros Forero, was penalized as well.

Also on the penalty list was Mateo Andrés Duque Botero, a dual national 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 connected to Duque engaged in several money transfers, worth millions," the official announcement stated.

Citizen of Colombia Mónica Muñoz Ucros was the final person to be targeted, with the firm she operated accused of money transfers linked to Duque and his companies.

"The United States again calls on outside forces to stop giving funding and arms to the belligerents," the department said in a statement.

Reaction

A senior analyst, with the International Crisis Group, described the measures as a "major" step, stating that "targeting the enablers is the right way to go".

She added that, Colombia ratified a statute endorsing the International Convention Against the Recruitment and Use of Mercenaries, designed to limit years of participation by its nationals in overseas wars and reshape domestic defense strategy.

A mercenary specialist, an expert on mercenaries, advised additional measures, stating that "sanctions are necessary but insufficient for addressing rampant mercenarism".

"It operates in the black market and centered in the Emirates, which is largely insulated from sanctions," he stated. The United Arab Emirates has been widely accused of supplying weapons to the paramilitary group, claims it rejects. "More contractors from Colombia are likely," McFate warned.