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The United States has enforced penalties on a network of several persons and entities accused of hiring South American contractors to fight for and train a armed faction in Sudan which the US alleges of acts of genocide.

Network Composition

Announcing the measures on Tuesday, the American treasury stated the operation was mostly comprised of individuals and businesses from Colombia.

Numerous of retired Colombian troops have allegedly journeyed to the conflict in Sudan to combat beside the Sudanese RSF militia, a group linked to horrific war crimes such as massacres based on ethnicity and large-scale abductions.

Revelation of Role

The role of these mercenaries first came to light the previous year, following an report which found that hundreds of former soldiers had been hired to engage in combat – an discovery that resulted in an rare mea culpa from Colombia’s foreign ministry.

These South American veterans have widely regarded as some of the most in-demand contractors globally due to their extensive battlefield experience gleaned from decades of civil war, familiarity with Nato equipment, and superior tactical education.

Reported Actions

In Sudan, the contractors have been accused of teaching minors, taught fighters to pilot drones, and fought directly on the frontlines. A mercenary remarked that instructing minors was "awful and crazy" but noted that "sadly, that is the nature of conflict".

Named Entities

Among those sanctioned was Álvaro Andrés Quijano Becerra, a individual with dual citizenship and ex-soldier based in the UAE. The government alleged he played a pivotal function in hiring and sending mercenaries to Sudan. His wife, Claudia Viviana Oliveros Forero, was also sanctioned.

Also on the restricted list was Mateo Andrés Duque Botero, a dual national who the Treasury stated ran a firm implicated in managing finances and payments for the recruitment operation. "In 2024 and 2025, companies in the United States connected to Duque engaged in numerous wire transfers, worth millions," the official announcement stated.

Colombian national Mónica Muñoz Ucros was the fourth individual to be sanctioned, with the firm she operated accused of financial transactions connected to Duque and his businesses.

"The United States again calls on foreign parties to halt the flow of financial and military support to the belligerents," the department stated.

Reaction

Elizabeth Dickinson, from a conflict think tank, described the measures as a "highly important" development, noting that "calling out those who are doing the contracting is the right way to go".

Furthermore, Bogotá ratified a statute ratifying the International Convention Against the Recruitment and Use of Mercenaries, seeking to reduce years of participation by its nationals in foreign conflicts and change national security policy.

Another expert, an expert on mercenaries, advised additional measures, noting that "restrictions are needed but not enough for dealing with rampant mercenarism".

"It operates in the black market and based out of the UAE, which is largely insulated from sanctions," he commented. The UAE has been repeatedly implicated of supplying weapons to the paramilitary group, allegations it disputes. "Expect more Colombian mercenaries," the expert cautioned.