🔗 Share this article

The US government has levied restrictions on a operation of four individuals and four companies charged of hiring South American contractors to combat alongside and instruct a Sudanese paramilitary group that Washington accuses of acts of genocide.

Network Composition

Disclosing the restrictions on Tuesday, the American treasury stated the operation was largely composed of individuals and businesses from Colombia.

Hundreds of ex-soldiers from Colombia have reportedly travelled to Sudan to operate with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a faction implicated in horrific war crimes including targeted ethnic killings and large-scale abductions.

Emergence of Involvement

The involvement of Colombian fighters initially emerged in 2024, following an report which revealed that more than 300 retired troops had been recruited to fight – an event that led to an rare mea culpa from Colombia’s foreign ministry.

Colombian ex-soldiers have widely regarded as some of the most in-demand contractors globally due to their extensive battlefield experience acquired during a long-running domestic war, knowledge of advanced weaponry, and elite military instruction.

Activities in Sudan

In the conflict, the contractors have reportedly trained minors, taught fighters to pilot drones, and participated in direct battles. One source remarked that training children was "awful and crazy" but commented that "sadly, that is the nature of conflict".

Targeted Persons

Among those penalized was Álvaro Andrés Quijano Becerra, a individual with dual citizenship and ex-soldier operating from the Dubai. The Treasury accused him a pivotal function in hiring and sending former Colombian soldiers to Sudan. His wife, Claudia Oliveros, was also sanctioned.

Also on the penalty list was Mateo Andrés Duque Botero, a individual with Colombian and Spanish citizenship who authorities say managed a business implicated in handling funds and payroll for the network. "In 2024 and 2025, US-based firms linked to Duque engaged in several money transfers, worth millions," the government release said.

Individual Mónica Muñoz was the fourth individual to be targeted, with the firm she operated said to have conducted wire transfers connected to Duque and his businesses.

"Washington reiterates its demand for outside forces to cease providing funding and arms to the combatants," the department said in a statement.

Expert Analysis

An expert, senior analyst at the International Crisis Group, called the measures as a "major" step, saying that "identifying the recruiters is the right way to go".

Furthermore, Colombia recently passed a law approving the global treaty against mercenarism, aiming to curb years of participation by its nationals in international fights and reshape domestic defense strategy.

Another expert, an expert on mercenaries, called for greater wariness, stating that "sanctions are necessary but insufficient for combating rampant mercenarism".

"This is a shadow economy and based out of Dubai, which is difficult to penalize," he stated. The United Arab Emirates has been repeatedly implicated of providing arms to the militia, allegations it disputes. "This trend will probably continue," the expert cautioned.