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The Washington has imposed sanctions on a group of four individuals and four companies accused of enlisting former Colombian soldiers to support and educate a militia force in Sudan that Washington accuses of committing genocide.

Network Composition

Revealing the measures on this week, the Treasury stated the scheme was mostly comprised of Colombian citizens and firms.

Numerous of former Colombian military personnel have allegedly journeyed to Sudan to fight alongside the Sudanese RSF militia, a faction accused of severe violations encompassing ethnically targeted slaughter and widespread kidnappings.

Discovery of Participation

The role of these mercenaries initially emerged the previous year, prompted by an report which revealed that over three hundred ex-military personnel had been recruited to participate in the war – an event that resulted in an unprecedented apology from the Colombian government.

Former Colombian military have historically been seen as some of the most in-demand contractors globally due to their considerable warzone knowledge gleaned from decades of civil war, familiarity with Nato equipment, and elite military instruction.

Activities in Sudan

In Sudan, the Colombians have been accused of teaching child soldiers, provided drone warfare training, and engaged in frontline combat. A mercenary was quoted as saying that instructing minors was "terrible and insane" but added that "unfortunately that’s how war is".

Named Entities

Among those sanctioned was Álvaro Andrés Quijano Becerra, a citizen of both Colombia and Italy and ex-soldier operating from the Dubai. The government said he had a key part in recruiting and deploying mercenaries to Sudan. His wife, Claudia Oliveros, was similarly targeted.

Also on the sanctions list was Duque Botero, a individual with Colombian and Spanish citizenship who the Treasury stated oversaw a company linked to handling funds and payroll for the scheme. "In 2024 and 2025, US-based firms associated with Duque carried out several money transfers, amounting to millions," the official announcement stated.

Colombian national Mónica Muñoz Ucros was the other individual to be targeted, with the company she managed accused of financial transactions connected to Duque and his companies.

"The US once more urges outside forces to halt the flow of funding and arms to the combatants," the Treasury stated.

Analyst Commentary

An expert, from a conflict think tank, labeled the actions as a "highly important" step, stating that "identifying the recruiters is the right way to go".

She added that, Colombia recently passed a statute approving the global treaty against mercenarism, aiming to curb years of participation by its nationals in international fights and reshape national security policy.

Another expert, an expert on mercenaries, called for greater wariness, stating that "penalties are required yet incomplete for addressing the growing mercenary trade".

"It operates in the black market and operating from the UAE, which is relatively sanction-proof," he commented. The United Arab Emirates has been frequently alleged of supplying weapons to the paramilitary group, claims it rejects. "Expect more Colombian mercenaries," he advised.