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The US government has imposed sanctions on a operation of four individuals and four companies charged of enlisting former Colombian soldiers to support and educate a militia force in Sudan which the US alleges of genocidal acts.

Group Makeup

Disclosing the restrictions on Tuesday, the American treasury stated the scheme was largely composed of Colombian citizens and firms.

Scores of ex-soldiers from Colombia have been recruited to go to the conflict in Sudan to fight alongside the RSF paramilitary group, a group linked to horrific war crimes such as ethnically targeted slaughter and mass abductions.

Revelation of Role

The participation of ex-soldiers initially emerged in 2024, prompted by an inquiry which found that more than 300 ex-military personnel had been hired to fight – an event that led to an unprecedented apology from the Colombian government.

These South American veterans have historically been seen as some of the most in-demand contractors globally due to their considerable warzone knowledge acquired during a long-running domestic war, familiarity with advanced weaponry, and high-level combat training.

Activities in Sudan

In Sudan, the contractors have allegedly instructed minors, provided drone warfare training, and participated in direct battles. A mercenary previously stated that training children was "awful and crazy" but noted that "sadly, that is the nature of conflict".

Named Entities

Among those penalized was Álvaro Andrés Quijano Becerra, a citizen of both Colombia and Italy and former army officer located in the United Arab Emirates. The government said he had a pivotal function in hiring and sending former Colombian soldiers to Sudan. His wife, Claudia Viviana Oliveros Forero, was also sanctioned.

Also on the sanctions list was Mateo Andrés Duque Botero, a individual with Colombian and Spanish citizenship who authorities say managed a business implicated in managing finances and payments for the scheme. "In 2024 and 2025, companies in the United States associated with Duque conducted several money transfers, amounting to millions," the official announcement stated.

Individual Mónica Muñoz was the final person to be targeted, with the entity she oversaw accused of wire transfers associated with Duque and his businesses.

"The United States again calls on outside forces to halt the flow of financial and military support to the belligerents," the agency announced.

Analyst Commentary

A senior analyst, with the International Crisis Group, called the measures as a "very significant" step, saying that "targeting the enablers is the proper strategy".

She added that, Colombia has enacted a law ratifying the anti-mercenary convention, aiming to curb years of participation by its nationals in overseas wars and change its security approach.

A mercenary specialist, a scholar on the subject, urged more caution, noting that "restrictions are needed but not enough for addressing widespread use of contractors".

"It’s an illicit economy and based out of the Emirates, which is relatively sanction-proof," he stated. The United Arab Emirates has been repeatedly implicated of providing arms to the militia, claims it rejects. "This trend will probably continue," the expert cautioned.