🔗 Share this article

The US government has imposed sanctions on a operation of several persons and entities charged of enlisting Colombian mercenaries to combat alongside and instruct a Sudanese paramilitary group the United States claims of acts of genocide.

Group Makeup

Disclosing the sanctions on Tuesday, the US Treasury Department stated the network was primarily made up of individuals and businesses from Colombia.

Numerous of ex-soldiers from Colombia have been recruited to go to the conflict in Sudan to combat beside the RSF paramilitary group, a faction implicated in terrible atrocities encompassing ethnically targeted slaughter and large-scale abductions.

Revelation of Role

The involvement of Colombian fighters first came to light in 2024, after an inquiry which disclosed that more than 300 ex-military personnel had been recruited to engage in combat – an event that resulted in an rare mea culpa from Colombia’s foreign ministry.

Former Colombian military have long been considered as some of the most in-demand contractors globally due to their considerable warzone knowledge resulting from years of internal conflict, training on advanced weaponry, and superior tactical education.

Reported Actions

In Sudan, the mercenaries have reportedly trained underage fighters, taught fighters to pilot drones, and fought directly on the frontlines. An individual involved previously stated that instructing minors was "awful and crazy" but commented that "unfortunately that’s how war is".

Sanctioned Individuals

Among those sanctioned was Álvaro Andrés Quijano Becerra, a individual with dual citizenship and retired Colombian military officer operating from the Dubai. The Treasury alleged he played a key part in hiring and sending former Colombian soldiers to Sudan. His wife, Claudia Viviana Oliveros Forero, was similarly targeted.

Also on the restricted list was Mateo Duque Botero, a individual with Colombian and Spanish citizenship who officials alleged managed a business linked to processing money and salaries for the network. "In 2024 and 2025, US-based firms connected to Duque carried out multiple financial transactions, worth millions," the official announcement noted.

Individual Mónica Muñoz Ucros was the final person to be penalized, with the firm she operated alleged to have wire transfers associated with Duque and his companies.

"The US once more urges foreign parties to cease providing financial and military support to the combatants," the agency announced.

Expert Analysis

Elizabeth Dickinson, with the International Crisis Group, described the measures as a "highly important" development, noting that "identifying the recruiters is the proper strategy".

Furthermore, Bogotá recently passed a law ratifying the global treaty against mercenarism, aiming to curb decades of Colombian involvement in international fights and transform its security approach.

A mercenary specialist, 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 based out of Dubai, which is relatively sanction-proof," he commented. The Emirati government has been frequently alleged of supplying weapons to the paramilitary group, allegations it disputes. "This trend will probably continue," McFate warned.