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The United States has enforced penalties on a group of four people and four firms alleged of recruiting Colombian mercenaries to fight for and train a militia force in Sudan the United States claims of genocidal acts.

Group Makeup

Revealing the restrictions on Tuesday, the US Treasury Department stated the operation was largely composed of individuals and businesses from Colombia.

Hundreds of retired Colombian troops have been recruited to go to Sudan to combat beside the RSF paramilitary group, a force linked to severe violations encompassing targeted ethnic killings and large-scale abductions.

Revelation of Role

The involvement of Colombian fighters was first uncovered the previous year, prompted by an investigation which disclosed that over three hundred retired troops had been contracted to fight – an revelation that resulted in an unprecedented apology from Colombia’s foreign ministry.

These South American veterans have historically been seen as highly prized fighters in conflict zones due to their considerable warzone knowledge gleaned from a long-running domestic war, knowledge of advanced weaponry, and elite military instruction.

Role in the Conflict

In the Sudanese theater, the Colombians have been accused of teaching child soldiers, taught fighters to pilot drones, and fought directly on the frontlines. A mercenary remarked that working with child soldiers was "terrible and insane" but commented that "unfortunately that’s how war is".

Sanctioned Individuals

Among those penalized was Álvaro Andrés Quijano Becerra, a individual with dual citizenship and retired Colombian military officer operating from the UAE. The US authorities said he had a central role in hiring and sending ex-military personnel to Sudan. His spouse, Claudia Oliveros, was penalized as well.

Also on the penalty list was Mateo Andrés Duque Botero, a dual Colombian-Spanish citizen who authorities say ran a firm implicated in handling funds and payroll for the recruitment operation. "In 2024 and 2025, US-based firms associated with Duque carried out numerous wire transfers, totalling millions of US dollars," the Treasury statement stated.

Citizen of Colombia Mónica Muñoz was the other individual to be penalized, with the firm she operated said to have conducted financial transactions connected to Duque and his companies.

"The US once more urges outside forces to cease providing funding and arms to the belligerents," the agency announced.

Reaction

Elizabeth Dickinson, senior analyst at the International Crisis Group, called the sanctions as a "major" step, stating that "targeting the enablers is the correct approach".

Furthermore, Colombia recently passed a law ratifying the International Convention Against the Recruitment and Use of Mercenaries, designed to limit decades of Colombian involvement in overseas wars and transform its security approach.

Another expert, a authority on private military contractors, called for greater wariness, stating that "sanctions are necessary but insufficient for addressing the growing mercenary trade".

"It’s an illicit economy and based out of the UAE, which is relatively sanction-proof," he said. The United Arab Emirates has been frequently alleged of supplying weapons to the paramilitary group, claims it rejects. "More contractors from Colombia are likely," he advised.