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The US government has imposed sanctions on a group of four people and four firms charged of enlisting South American contractors to combat alongside and instruct a militia force in Sudan that Washington accuses of committing genocide.

Network Composition

Revealing the measures on Tuesday, the Treasury stated the scheme was primarily made up of Colombian nationals and companies.

Hundreds of former Colombian military personnel have allegedly journeyed to the conflict in Sudan to fight alongside the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a force implicated in horrific war crimes including targeted ethnic killings and widespread kidnappings.

Discovery of Participation

The involvement of Colombian fighters first came to light last year, after an inquiry which disclosed that over three hundred ex-military personnel had been hired to participate in the war – an event that prompted an unusual statement of regret from officials in Bogotá.

Former Colombian military have long been considered as among the world’s most sought-after mercenaries due to their considerable warzone knowledge acquired during years of internal conflict, training on advanced weaponry, and high-level combat training.

Role in the Conflict

In the Sudanese theater, the contractors have reportedly trained child soldiers, provided drone warfare training, and participated in direct battles. A mercenary was quoted as saying that training children was "awful and crazy" but added that "regrettably, war operates that way".

Sanctioned Individuals

Among those targeted was Álvaro Andrés Quijano Becerra, a dual Colombian-Italian national and former army officer located in the United Arab Emirates. The US authorities alleged he played a pivotal function in enlisting and transporting mercenaries to Sudan. His spouse, Claudia Viviana Oliveros Forero, was penalized as well.

Also on the sanctions list was Duque Botero, a individual with Colombian and Spanish citizenship who officials alleged managed a business accused of processing money and salaries for the recruitment operation. "In 2024 and 2025, US-based firms linked to Duque carried out several money transfers, totalling millions of US dollars," the Treasury statement noted.

Colombian national Mónica Muñoz was the final person to be targeted, with the company she managed said to have conducted financial transactions linked to Duque and his companies.

"The United States again calls on external actors to halt the flow of monetary and weaponry aid to the belligerents," the Treasury said in a statement.

Expert Analysis

An expert, with the International Crisis Group, called the actions as a "major" development, stating that "calling out those who are doing the contracting is the correct approach".

Furthermore, the Colombian government recently passed a piece of legislation endorsing the International Convention Against the Recruitment and Use of Mercenaries, seeking to reduce its citizens' long history in foreign conflicts and reshape its security approach.

A mercenary specialist, a scholar on the subject, advised additional measures, stating that "restrictions are needed but not enough for combating widespread use of contractors".

"This is a shadow economy and centered in the Emirates, which is difficult to penalize," he said. The United Arab Emirates has been widely accused of arming the RSF, claims it rejects. "This trend will probably continue," McFate warned.