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The United States has levied restrictions on a operation of several persons and entities alleged of hiring South American contractors to fight for and train a Sudanese paramilitary group the United States claims of genocidal acts.

Group Makeup

Disclosing the measures on this week, the Treasury stated the network was mostly comprised of Colombian nationals and companies.

Numerous of ex-soldiers from Colombia have allegedly journeyed to Sudan to combat beside the RSF paramilitary group, a force accused of severe violations such as massacres based on ethnicity and widespread kidnappings.

Revelation of Role

The involvement of Colombian fighters initially emerged last year, prompted by an investigation which found that over three hundred retired troops had been recruited to fight – an discovery that led to an unusual statement of regret from Colombia’s foreign ministry.

Former Colombian military have long been considered as some of the most in-demand contractors globally due to their vast combat experience gleaned from a long-running domestic war, training on Western military gear, and superior tactical education.

Activities in Sudan

In Sudan, the Colombians have been accused of teaching minors, taught fighters to pilot drones, and fought directly on the frontlines. An individual involved remarked that training children was "horrific and irrational" but noted that "unfortunately that’s how war is".

Sanctioned Individuals

Among those penalized was Álvaro Andrés Quijano Becerra, a individual with dual citizenship and retired Colombian military officer located in the United Arab Emirates. The Treasury accused him a central role in recruiting and deploying mercenaries to Sudan. His wife, Claudia Oliveros, was similarly targeted.

Also on the sanctions list was Mateo Duque Botero, a dual national who officials alleged managed a business implicated in processing money and salaries for the scheme. "In 2024 and 2025, US-based firms linked to Duque engaged in multiple financial transactions, worth millions," the Treasury statement noted.

Citizen of Colombia Mónica Muñoz was the other individual to be penalized, with the entity she oversaw said to have conducted money transfers associated with Duque and his operations.

"The US once more urges external actors to stop giving financial and military support to the belligerents," the department said in a statement.

Expert Analysis

Elizabeth Dickinson, with the International Crisis Group, called the actions as a "major" milestone, saying that "calling out those who are doing the contracting is the proper strategy".

Furthermore, Bogotá has enacted a statute endorsing the global treaty against mercenarism, designed to limit decades of Colombian involvement in overseas wars and change its security approach.

Another expert, an expert on mercenaries, urged more caution, saying that "restrictions are needed but not enough for combating widespread use of contractors".

"This is a shadow economy and operating from the UAE, which is relatively sanction-proof," he stated. The UAE has been repeatedly implicated of providing arms to the militia, claims it rejects. "Expect more Colombian mercenaries," McFate warned.