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The US government has imposed sanctions on a network of four people and four firms alleged of hiring South American contractors to fight for and train a Sudanese paramilitary group that Washington accuses of committing genocide.

Group Makeup

Revealing the sanctions on this week, the US Treasury Department stated the scheme was primarily made up of individuals and businesses from Colombia.

Hundreds of former Colombian military personnel have allegedly journeyed to the conflict in Sudan to operate with the RSF paramilitary group, a force linked to horrific war crimes including ethnically targeted slaughter and widespread kidnappings.

Emergence of Involvement

The role of these mercenaries initially emerged in 2024, prompted by an investigation which disclosed that more than 300 ex-military personnel had been contracted to participate in the war – an event that led to an unprecedented apology from Colombia’s foreign ministry.

These South American veterans have long been considered as among the world’s most sought-after mercenaries due to their extensive battlefield experience resulting from years of internal conflict, knowledge of advanced weaponry, and superior tactical education.

Role in the Conflict

In the Sudanese theater, the mercenaries have reportedly trained minors, provided drone warfare training, and fought directly on the frontlines. An individual involved previously stated that instructing minors was "terrible and insane" but noted that "sadly, that is the nature of conflict".

Targeted Persons

Among those penalized was Álvaro Andrés Quijano Becerra, a individual with dual citizenship and retired Colombian military officer operating from the Dubai. The government alleged he played a central role in enlisting and transporting former Colombian soldiers to Sudan. His spouse, Claudia Oliveros, was also sanctioned.

Also on the sanctions list was Mateo Duque Botero, a individual with Colombian and Spanish citizenship who officials alleged oversaw a company linked to managing finances and payments for the scheme. "In 2024 and 2025, companies in the United States linked to Duque conducted multiple financial transactions, amounting to millions," the government release said.

Individual Mónica Muñoz was the fourth individual to be targeted, with the company she managed alleged to have wire transfers associated with Duque and his operations.

"The United States again calls on outside forces to stop giving monetary and weaponry aid to the belligerents," the department said in a statement.

Reaction

An expert, with the International Crisis Group, labeled the measures as a "highly important" development, noting that "identifying the recruiters is the correct approach".

It was also noted that, Colombia has enacted a law ratifying the International Convention Against the Recruitment and Use of Mercenaries, designed to limit years of participation by its nationals in foreign conflicts and transform domestic defense strategy.

A mercenary specialist, a authority on private military contractors, urged more caution, stating that "sanctions are necessary but insufficient for addressing the growing mercenary trade".

"It’s an illicit economy and based out of the Emirates, which is relatively sanction-proof," he said. The Emirati government has been frequently alleged of supplying weapons to the paramilitary group, an accusation it has denied. "More contractors from Colombia are likely," the expert cautioned.