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

Operation Structure

Announcing the restrictions on this week, the US Treasury Department stated the network was largely composed of Colombian citizens and firms.

Hundreds of retired Colombian troops have reportedly travelled to the Sudanese warzone to fight alongside the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a group accused of horrific war crimes including targeted ethnic killings and mass abductions.

Emergence of Involvement

The participation of ex-soldiers initially emerged the previous year, following an inquiry which found that over three hundred ex-military personnel had been contracted to engage in combat – an discovery that resulted in an rare mea culpa from the Colombian government.

Former Colombian military have widely regarded as some of the most in-demand contractors globally due to their vast combat experience resulting from decades of civil war, familiarity with advanced weaponry, and high-level combat training.

Reported Actions

In the conflict, the contractors have been accused of teaching underage fighters, provided drone warfare training, and engaged in frontline combat. A mercenary previously stated that instructing minors was "awful and crazy" but noted that "unfortunately that’s how war is".

Named Entities

Among those sanctioned was Álvaro Andrés Quijano Becerra, a individual with dual citizenship and former army officer located in the UAE. The Treasury alleged he played a key part in hiring and sending former Colombian soldiers to Sudan. His wife, Claudia Oliveros, was penalized as well.

Also on the sanctions list was Mateo Andrés Duque Botero, a individual with Colombian and Spanish citizenship who the Treasury stated ran a firm implicated in processing money and salaries for the scheme. "In 2024 and 2025, American entities connected to Duque engaged in multiple financial transactions, amounting to millions," the Treasury statement stated.

Colombian national Mónica Muñoz was the other individual to be targeted, with the firm she operated accused of money transfers associated with Duque and his businesses.

"The United States again calls on external actors to stop giving monetary and weaponry aid to the combatants," the department said in a statement.

Reaction

An expert, from a conflict think tank, called the measures as a "very significant" development, stating that "calling out those who are doing the contracting is the proper strategy".

It was also noted that, Colombia ratified a law endorsing the global treaty against mercenarism, aiming to curb its citizens' long history in international fights and transform national security policy.

Another expert, a authority on private military contractors, urged more caution, saying that "penalties are required yet incomplete for dealing with the growing mercenary trade".

"It’s an illicit economy and centered in Dubai, which is largely insulated from sanctions," he commented. The Emirati government has been frequently alleged of providing arms to the militia, allegations it disputes. "This trend will probably continue," McFate warned.