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

Group Makeup

Announcing the restrictions on this week, the American treasury stated the operation was largely composed of Colombian nationals and companies.

Scores of former Colombian military personnel have been recruited to go to the Sudanese warzone to combat beside the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a force implicated in terrible atrocities including massacres based on ethnicity and widespread kidnappings.

Revelation of Role

The participation of ex-soldiers was first uncovered the previous year, after an investigation which disclosed that over three hundred former soldiers had been contracted to engage in combat – an discovery that led to an rare mea culpa from Colombia’s foreign ministry.

Colombian ex-soldiers have widely regarded as highly prized fighters in conflict zones due to their vast combat experience acquired during decades of civil war, knowledge of advanced weaponry, and high-level combat training.

Activities in Sudan

In Sudan, the contractors have been accused of teaching minors, taught fighters to pilot drones, and engaged in frontline combat. An individual involved previously stated that working with child soldiers was "terrible and insane" but added that "sadly, that is the nature of conflict".

Named Entities

Among those penalized was Álvaro Andrés Quijano Becerra, a individual with dual citizenship and former army officer located in the United Arab Emirates. The government alleged he played a key part in recruiting and deploying ex-military personnel to Sudan. His wife, Claudia Viviana Oliveros Forero, was similarly targeted.

Also on the sanctions list was Duque Botero, a dual national who officials alleged managed a business accused of managing finances and payments for the scheme. "In 2024 and 2025, companies in the United States connected to Duque conducted several money transfers, totalling millions of US dollars," the government release stated.

Citizen of Colombia Mónica Muñoz was the other individual to be targeted, with the entity she oversaw said to have conducted money transfers connected to Duque and his companies.

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

Reaction

Elizabeth Dickinson, with the International Crisis Group, labeled the measures as a "very significant" step, saying that "targeting the enablers is the right way to go".

She added that, the Colombian government ratified a statute endorsing the International Convention Against the Recruitment and Use of Mercenaries, seeking to reduce years of participation by its nationals in international fights and change national security policy.

Sean McFate, an expert on mercenaries, called for greater wariness, noting that "sanctions are necessary but insufficient for dealing with rampant mercenarism".

"It operates in the black market and operating from the Emirates, which is largely insulated from sanctions," he commented. The UAE has been frequently alleged of arming the RSF, an accusation it has denied. "More contractors from Colombia are likely," the expert cautioned.