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The United States has levied restrictions on a group of four individuals and four companies charged of recruiting former Colombian soldiers to support and educate a militia force in Sudan that Washington accuses of genocidal acts.

Group Makeup

Revealing the sanctions on Tuesday, the US Treasury Department stated the network was largely composed of individuals and businesses from Colombia.

Scores of retired Colombian troops have been recruited to go to Sudan to fight alongside the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a force implicated in horrific war crimes including targeted ethnic killings and large-scale abductions.

Revelation of Role

The participation of ex-soldiers first came to light in 2024, after an inquiry which found that hundreds of ex-military personnel had been recruited to engage in combat – an discovery that prompted an unusual statement of regret from officials in Bogotá.

Former Colombian military have widely regarded as some of the most in-demand contractors globally due to their vast combat experience resulting from a long-running domestic war, knowledge of Western military gear, and elite military instruction.

Activities in Sudan

In the Sudanese theater, the contractors have been accused of teaching minors, taught fighters to pilot drones, and engaged in frontline combat. A mercenary remarked that working with child soldiers was "horrific and irrational" but commented that "regrettably, war operates that way".

Named Entities

Among those penalized was Álvaro Andrés Quijano Becerra, a citizen of both Colombia and Italy and retired Colombian military officer based in the UAE. The US authorities accused him a key part in enlisting and transporting mercenaries to Sudan. His wife, Claudia Oliveros, was penalized as well.

Also on the restricted list was Duque Botero, a dual Colombian-Spanish citizen who officials alleged ran a firm linked to managing finances and payments for the scheme. "In 2024 and 2025, American entities connected to Duque carried out several money transfers, worth millions," the official announcement noted.

Individual Mónica Muñoz Ucros was the other individual to be targeted, with the entity she oversaw accused of money transfers associated with Duque and his operations.

"Washington reiterates its demand for foreign parties to stop giving monetary and weaponry aid to the belligerents," the agency announced.

Analyst Commentary

A senior analyst, from a conflict think tank, labeled the sanctions as a "major" development, saying that "identifying the recruiters is the proper strategy".

It was also noted that, Bogotá ratified a law approving the global treaty against mercenarism, seeking to reduce its citizens' long history in foreign conflicts and reshape its security approach.

A mercenary specialist, a scholar on the subject, called for greater wariness, noting that "penalties are required yet incomplete for combating rampant mercenarism".

"It operates in the black market and centered in the Emirates, which is largely insulated from sanctions," he commented. The Emirati government has been repeatedly implicated of supplying weapons to the paramilitary group, claims it rejects. "Expect more Colombian mercenaries," he advised.