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The United States has levied restrictions on a operation of four individuals and four companies alleged of recruiting South American contractors to combat alongside and instruct a Sudanese paramilitary group that Washington accuses of acts of genocide.

Network Composition

Announcing the sanctions on Tuesday, the US Treasury Department stated the operation was mostly comprised of Colombian nationals and companies.

Scores of retired Colombian troops have reportedly travelled to Sudan to combat beside the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a faction implicated in severe violations including targeted ethnic killings and mass abductions.

Revelation of Role

The participation of ex-soldiers first came to light in 2024, after an inquiry which disclosed that over three hundred retired troops had been recruited to participate in the war – an discovery that resulted in an unusual statement of regret from Colombia’s foreign ministry.

Former Colombian military have historically been seen as some of the most in-demand contractors globally due to their extensive battlefield experience gleaned from years of internal conflict, knowledge of Nato equipment, and high-level combat training.

Role in the Conflict

In the conflict, the Colombians have reportedly trained child soldiers, instructed militiamen in drone operation, and fought directly on the frontlines. One source previously stated that training children was "horrific and irrational" but commented that "unfortunately that’s how war is".

Named Entities

Among those penalized was Álvaro Andrés Quijano Becerra, a citizen of both Colombia and Italy and former army officer based in the UAE. The US authorities accused him a central role in enlisting and transporting mercenaries to Sudan. His wife, Claudia Viviana Oliveros Forero, was similarly targeted.

Also on the penalty list was Mateo Duque Botero, a dual national who authorities say managed a business linked to handling funds and payroll for the recruitment operation. "Over the past two years, American entities connected to Duque engaged in multiple financial transactions, totalling millions of US dollars," the official announcement said.

Individual Mónica Muñoz Ucros was the fourth individual to be targeted, with the company she managed accused of money transfers 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 agency said in a statement.

Reaction

A senior analyst, with the International Crisis Group, called the actions as a "major" development, saying that "identifying the recruiters is the correct approach".

Furthermore, Bogotá recently passed a statute approving the anti-mercenary convention, seeking to reduce decades of Colombian involvement in foreign conflicts and change national security policy.

Another expert, a scholar on the subject, advised additional measures, saying that "sanctions are necessary but insufficient for combating rampant mercenarism".

"This is a shadow economy and operating from the Emirates, which is largely insulated from sanctions," he stated. The Emirati government has been widely accused of supplying weapons to the paramilitary group, claims it rejects. "This trend will probably continue," McFate warned.