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The United States has enforced penalties on a network of several persons and entities charged of enlisting former Colombian soldiers to fight for and train a Sudanese paramilitary group the United States claims of genocidal acts.

Group Makeup

Announcing the restrictions on this week, the US Treasury Department stated the scheme was primarily made up of Colombian citizens and firms.

Hundreds of ex-soldiers from Colombia have been recruited to go to Sudan to combat beside the Sudanese RSF militia, a faction linked to severe violations such as ethnically targeted slaughter and large-scale abductions.

Revelation of Role

The role of these mercenaries first came to light in 2024, prompted by an inquiry which revealed that hundreds of former soldiers had been hired to participate in the war – an event that resulted in an rare mea culpa from Colombia’s foreign ministry.

Colombian ex-soldiers have historically been seen as highly prized fighters in conflict zones due to their extensive battlefield experience gleaned from a long-running domestic war, training on Western military gear, and superior tactical education.

Activities in Sudan

In Sudan, the contractors have been accused of teaching underage fighters, instructed militiamen in drone operation, and fought directly on the frontlines. A mercenary remarked that instructing minors was "awful and crazy" but noted that "regrettably, war operates that way".

Targeted Persons

Among those penalized was Álvaro Andrés Quijano Becerra, a individual with dual citizenship and retired Colombian military officer operating from the Dubai. The Treasury alleged he played a key part in enlisting and transporting former Colombian soldiers to Sudan. His spouse, Claudia Viviana Oliveros Forero, was similarly targeted.

Also on the restricted list was Mateo Andrés Duque Botero, a individual with Colombian and Spanish citizenship who the Treasury stated ran a firm accused of processing money and salaries for the recruitment operation. "Over the past two years, US-based firms associated with Duque conducted multiple financial transactions, totalling millions of US dollars," the Treasury statement stated.

Colombian national Mónica Muñoz was the other individual to be targeted, with the firm she operated accused of wire transfers associated with Duque and his businesses.

"Washington reiterates its demand for external actors to halt the flow of funding and arms to the combatants," the Treasury stated.

Expert Analysis

Elizabeth Dickinson, with the International Crisis Group, called the sanctions as a "major" development, noting that "calling out those who are doing the contracting is the right way to go".

She added that, Colombia has enacted a law endorsing the International Convention Against the Recruitment and Use of Mercenaries, designed to limit its citizens' long history in overseas wars and reshape national security policy.

A mercenary specialist, an expert on mercenaries, called for greater wariness, stating that "restrictions are needed but not enough for dealing with widespread use of contractors".

"It’s an illicit economy and operating from Dubai, which is largely insulated from sanctions," he said. The Emirati government has been widely accused of arming the RSF, claims it rejects. "More contractors from Colombia are likely," the expert cautioned.