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The Washington has enforced penalties on a group of four individuals and four companies accused of hiring former Colombian soldiers to combat alongside and instruct a armed faction in Sudan that Washington accuses of genocidal acts.

Network Composition

Revealing the measures on Tuesday, the Treasury stated the network was largely composed of Colombian citizens and firms.

Hundreds of retired Colombian troops have been recruited to go to the conflict in Sudan to operate with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a force implicated in severe violations encompassing massacres based on ethnicity and mass abductions.

Emergence of Involvement

The role of these mercenaries initially emerged in 2024, after an report which disclosed that over three hundred former soldiers had been hired to engage in combat – an discovery that led to an rare mea culpa from officials in Bogotá.

These South American veterans have historically been seen as highly prized fighters in conflict zones due to their considerable warzone knowledge gleaned from decades of civil war, training on Nato equipment, and superior tactical education.

Role in the Conflict

In the Sudanese theater, the Colombians have been accused of teaching underage fighters, taught fighters to pilot drones, and participated in direct battles. A mercenary remarked that instructing minors was "awful and crazy" but commented 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 ex-soldier located in the United Arab Emirates. The Treasury accused him a central role in enlisting and transporting former Colombian soldiers to Sudan. His wife, Claudia Viviana Oliveros Forero, was penalized as well.

Also on the sanctions list was Duque Botero, a dual Colombian-Spanish citizen who authorities say oversaw a company accused of processing money and salaries for the scheme. "In 2024 and 2025, American entities linked to Duque engaged in multiple financial transactions, amounting to millions," the Treasury statement said.

Citizen of Colombia Mónica Muñoz was the fourth individual to be targeted, with the firm she operated accused of wire transfers linked to Duque and his businesses.

"The United States again calls on external actors to halt the flow of monetary and weaponry aid to the warring parties," the Treasury stated.

Analyst Commentary

Elizabeth Dickinson, with the International Crisis Group, called the actions as a "major" development, noting that "targeting the enablers is the right way to go".

It was also noted that, the Colombian government ratified a statute ratifying the anti-mercenary convention, designed to limit years of participation by its nationals in international fights and transform domestic defense strategy.

Sean McFate, a authority on private military contractors, advised additional measures, stating that "sanctions are necessary but insufficient for combating widespread use of contractors".

"It’s an illicit economy and operating from Dubai, which is relatively sanction-proof," he said. The UAE has been repeatedly implicated of providing arms to the militia, an accusation it has denied. "This trend will probably continue," the expert cautioned.