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The United States has imposed sanctions on a operation of four people and four firms alleged of hiring South American contractors to support and educate a militia force in Sudan the United States claims of acts of genocide.

Group Makeup

Revealing the restrictions on this week, the US Treasury Department stated the scheme was mostly comprised of individuals and businesses from Colombia.

Scores of former Colombian military personnel have been recruited to go to the Sudanese warzone to operate with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a group accused of severe violations including ethnically targeted slaughter and mass abductions.

Emergence of Involvement

The involvement of Colombian fighters initially emerged last year, after an investigation which revealed that over three hundred former soldiers had been recruited to fight – an event that resulted in an rare mea culpa from officials in Bogotá.

Former Colombian military have widely regarded as some of the most in-demand contractors globally due to their considerable warzone knowledge acquired during a long-running domestic war, familiarity with Western military gear, and high-level combat training.

Role in the Conflict

In the Sudanese theater, the contractors have been accused of teaching minors, instructed militiamen in drone operation, and fought directly on the frontlines. A mercenary previously stated that training children was "terrible and insane" but noted that "regrettably, war operates that way".

Sanctioned Individuals

Among those penalized was Álvaro Andrés Quijano Becerra, a citizen of both Colombia and Italy and former army officer operating from the United Arab Emirates. The US authorities said he had a central role in hiring and sending mercenaries to Sudan. His spouse, Claudia Viviana Oliveros Forero, was penalized as well.

Also on the sanctions list was Mateo Duque Botero, a individual with Colombian and Spanish citizenship who the Treasury stated ran a firm implicated in managing finances and payments for the scheme. "In 2024 and 2025, companies in the United States connected to Duque engaged in several money transfers, amounting to millions," the Treasury statement noted.

Colombian national Mónica Muñoz was the other individual to be penalized, with the firm she operated accused of wire transfers linked to Duque and his businesses.

"Washington reiterates its demand for foreign parties to cease providing monetary and weaponry aid to the warring parties," the department said in a statement.

Reaction

An expert, from a conflict think tank, described the actions as a "highly important" development, stating that "targeting the enablers is the proper strategy".

It was also noted that, Colombia has enacted a law endorsing the International Convention Against the Recruitment and Use of Mercenaries, aiming to curb years of participation by its nationals in foreign conflicts and transform its security approach.

Sean McFate, a authority on private military contractors, called for greater wariness, stating that "sanctions are necessary but insufficient for addressing the growing mercenary trade".

"It’s an illicit economy and operating from Dubai, which is difficult to penalize," he said. The UAE has been widely accused of providing arms to the militia, allegations it disputes. "More contractors from Colombia are likely," McFate warned.