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The Washington has imposed sanctions on a network of several persons and entities charged of hiring Colombian mercenaries to fight for and train a Sudanese paramilitary group that Washington accuses of acts of genocide.

Network Composition

Announcing the measures on this week, the Treasury stated the network was mostly comprised of individuals and businesses from Colombia.

Numerous of retired Colombian troops have allegedly journeyed to Sudan to operate with the RSF paramilitary group, a faction implicated in terrible atrocities such as ethnically targeted slaughter and large-scale abductions.

Discovery of Participation

The involvement of Colombian fighters initially emerged the previous year, following an investigation which revealed that over three hundred former soldiers had been recruited to fight – an discovery that resulted in an rare mea culpa from Colombia’s foreign ministry.

These South American veterans have historically been seen as among the world’s most sought-after mercenaries due to their considerable warzone knowledge acquired during a long-running domestic war, familiarity with Nato equipment, and high-level combat training.

Reported Actions

In the Sudanese theater, the contractors have allegedly instructed underage fighters, provided drone warfare training, and engaged in frontline combat. A mercenary previously stated that working with child soldiers was "terrible and insane" but commented that "regrettably, war operates that way".

Targeted Persons

Among those targeted was Álvaro Andrés Quijano Becerra, a citizen of both Colombia and Italy and former army officer operating from the United Arab Emirates. The government accused him a pivotal function in recruiting and deploying former Colombian soldiers to Sudan. His spouse, Claudia Viviana Oliveros Forero, was also sanctioned.

Also on the restricted list was Duque Botero, a dual Colombian-Spanish citizen who authorities say oversaw a company accused of managing finances and payments for the network. "In 2024 and 2025, US-based firms connected to Duque conducted numerous wire transfers, worth millions," the official announcement said.

Colombian national Mónica Muñoz was the other individual to be sanctioned, with the firm she operated said to have conducted financial transactions associated with Duque and his companies.

"Washington reiterates its demand for outside forces to stop giving monetary and weaponry aid to the warring parties," the Treasury announced.

Expert Analysis

Elizabeth Dickinson, senior analyst at the International Crisis Group, called the actions as a "major" development, stating that "identifying the recruiters is the proper strategy".

She added that, the Colombian government recently passed a piece of legislation endorsing the International Convention Against the Recruitment and Use of Mercenaries, aiming to curb decades of Colombian involvement in overseas wars and transform national security policy.

Sean McFate, a authority on private military contractors, advised additional measures, noting that "penalties are required yet incomplete for dealing with rampant mercenarism".

"It operates in the black market and centered in the Emirates, which is difficult to penalize," he said. The United Arab Emirates has been repeatedly implicated of arming the RSF, claims it rejects. "This trend will probably continue," the expert cautioned.