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The US government has levied restrictions on a operation of four people and four firms accused of recruiting South American contractors to combat alongside and instruct a Sudanese paramilitary group which the US alleges of acts of genocide.

Network Composition

Disclosing the restrictions on this week, the US Treasury Department stated the network was primarily made up of Colombian citizens and firms.

Scores of former Colombian military personnel have been recruited to go to Sudan to combat beside the Sudanese RSF militia, a faction implicated in horrific war crimes including ethnically targeted slaughter and large-scale abductions.

Discovery of Participation

The participation of ex-soldiers first came to light in 2024, after an inquiry which found that more than 300 ex-military personnel had been hired to engage in combat – an revelation that resulted in an rare mea culpa from officials in Bogotá.

Former Colombian military have widely regarded as among the world’s most sought-after mercenaries due to their considerable warzone knowledge acquired during a long-running domestic war, familiarity with advanced weaponry, and superior tactical education.

Role in the Conflict

In the Sudanese theater, the Colombians have reportedly trained minors, provided drone warfare training, and engaged in frontline combat. One source previously stated that training children was "horrific and irrational" but commented that "sadly, that is the nature of conflict".

Sanctioned Individuals

Among those sanctioned was Álvaro Andrés Quijano Becerra, a dual Colombian-Italian national and retired Colombian military officer operating from the United Arab Emirates. The US authorities accused him a key part in hiring and sending ex-military personnel to Sudan. His wife, Claudia Viviana Oliveros Forero, was similarly targeted.

Also on the sanctions list was Mateo Duque Botero, a dual national who the Treasury stated managed a business implicated in processing money and salaries for the recruitment operation. "Recently, American entities associated with Duque engaged in numerous wire transfers, amounting to millions," the Treasury statement stated.

Citizen of Colombia Mónica Muñoz was the final person to be sanctioned, with the firm she operated said to have conducted financial transactions connected to Duque and his operations.

"The United States again calls on external actors to cease providing monetary and weaponry aid to the combatants," the department stated.

Expert Analysis

An expert, senior analyst at the International Crisis Group, called the measures as a "highly important" development, noting that "identifying the recruiters is the correct approach".

She added that, Colombia recently passed a statute approving the anti-mercenary convention, aiming to curb its citizens' long history in international fights and change national security policy.

Another expert, a authority on private military contractors, called for greater wariness, stating that "sanctions are necessary but insufficient for addressing widespread use of contractors".

"It operates in the black market and centered in the Emirates, which is largely insulated from sanctions," he said. The United Arab Emirates has been frequently alleged of supplying weapons to the paramilitary group, claims it rejects. "This trend will probably continue," the expert cautioned.