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The US government has enforced penalties on a network of four individuals and four companies accused of recruiting former Colombian soldiers to combat alongside and instruct a armed faction in Sudan which the US alleges of committing genocide.

Operation Structure

Announcing the sanctions on this week, the US Treasury Department stated the scheme was mostly comprised of Colombian citizens and firms.

Numerous of retired Colombian troops have reportedly travelled to the Sudanese warzone to combat beside the Sudanese RSF militia, a group implicated in severe violations such as massacres based on ethnicity and mass abductions.

Discovery of Participation

The involvement of Colombian fighters initially emerged in 2024, prompted by an investigation which revealed that hundreds of former soldiers had been recruited to fight – an event that led to an rare mea culpa from Colombia’s foreign ministry.

Former Colombian military have widely regarded as some of the most in-demand contractors globally due to their extensive battlefield experience gleaned from decades of civil war, knowledge of Nato equipment, and high-level combat training.

Role in the Conflict

In the Sudanese theater, the mercenaries have reportedly trained child soldiers, provided drone warfare training, and participated in direct battles. An individual involved was quoted as saying that training children was "terrible and insane" but added that "unfortunately that’s how war is".

Sanctioned Individuals

Among those sanctioned was Álvaro Andrés Quijano Becerra, a individual with dual citizenship and former army officer based in the United Arab Emirates. The Treasury said he had a pivotal function in enlisting and transporting mercenaries to Sudan. His spouse, Claudia Oliveros, was also sanctioned.

Also on the restricted list was Duque Botero, a dual national who authorities say ran a firm linked to processing money and salaries for the scheme. "Recently, US-based firms associated with Duque engaged in several money transfers, amounting to millions," the Treasury statement said.

Citizen of Colombia Mónica Muñoz was the fourth individual to be penalized, with the entity she oversaw alleged to have money transfers associated with Duque and his businesses.

"Washington reiterates its demand for external actors to cease providing funding and arms to the combatants," the department stated.

Analyst Commentary

A senior analyst, senior analyst at the International Crisis Group, described the sanctions as a "highly important" step, noting that "identifying the recruiters is the correct approach".

Furthermore, Bogotá has enacted a statute endorsing the International Convention Against the Recruitment and Use of Mercenaries, seeking to reduce its citizens' long history in foreign conflicts and reshape its security approach.

Another expert, an expert on mercenaries, urged more caution, saying that "restrictions are needed but not enough for addressing rampant mercenarism".

"It’s an illicit economy and based out of Dubai, which is difficult to penalize," he said. The Emirati government has been repeatedly implicated of arming the RSF, an accusation it has denied. "Expect more Colombian mercenaries," McFate warned.