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The United States has imposed sanctions on a network of four people and four firms alleged of recruiting former Colombian soldiers to combat alongside and instruct a Sudanese paramilitary group the United States claims of committing genocide.

Group Makeup

Announcing the sanctions on this week, the American treasury stated the scheme was largely composed of Colombian citizens and firms.

Hundreds of ex-soldiers from Colombia have been recruited to go to the conflict in Sudan to operate with the RSF paramilitary group, a force accused of terrible atrocities encompassing massacres based on ethnicity and widespread kidnappings.

Emergence of Involvement

The participation of ex-soldiers was first uncovered last year, after an investigation which found that more than 300 former soldiers had been hired to participate in the war – an event that resulted in an unusual statement of regret from Colombia’s foreign ministry.

Former Colombian military have widely regarded as highly prized fighters in conflict zones due to their considerable warzone knowledge resulting from decades of civil war, knowledge of Western military gear, and elite military instruction.

Activities in Sudan

In the Sudanese theater, the mercenaries have allegedly instructed minors, taught fighters to pilot drones, and fought directly on the frontlines. A mercenary was quoted as saying that instructing minors was "terrible and insane" but commented that "regrettably, war operates that way".

Sanctioned Individuals

Among those penalized was Álvaro Andrés Quijano Becerra, a citizen of both Colombia and Italy and retired Colombian military officer based in the Dubai. The government said he had a central role in enlisting and transporting former Colombian soldiers to Sudan. His spouse, Claudia Oliveros, was similarly targeted.

Also on the restricted list was Duque Botero, a dual Colombian-Spanish citizen who the Treasury stated oversaw a company linked to managing finances and payments for the network. "In 2024 and 2025, American entities associated with Duque conducted numerous wire transfers, totalling millions of US dollars," the government release stated.

Individual Mónica Muñoz was the fourth individual to be targeted, with the entity she oversaw said to have conducted wire transfers linked to Duque and his businesses.

"Washington reiterates its demand for foreign parties to stop giving funding and arms to the combatants," the Treasury announced.

Reaction

Elizabeth Dickinson, from a conflict think tank, described the actions as a "very significant" step, saying that "calling out those who are doing the contracting is the right way to go".

Furthermore, Colombia has enacted a statute approving the International Convention Against the Recruitment and Use of Mercenaries, designed to limit years of participation by its nationals in overseas wars and change national security policy.

A mercenary specialist, a authority on private military contractors, urged more caution, saying that "restrictions are needed but not enough for dealing with rampant mercenarism".

"It’s an illicit economy and centered in Dubai, which is relatively sanction-proof," he said. The Emirati government has been widely accused of providing arms to the militia, an accusation it has denied. "This trend will probably continue," he advised.