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The United States has levied restrictions on a network of several persons and entities charged of recruiting South American contractors to combat alongside and instruct a Sudanese paramilitary group which the US alleges of acts of genocide.

Network Composition

Announcing the sanctions on this week, the US Treasury Department stated the network was primarily made up of Colombian nationals and companies.

Numerous of ex-soldiers from Colombia have been recruited to go to the Sudanese warzone to combat beside the Sudanese RSF militia, a force accused of terrible atrocities such as massacres based on ethnicity and large-scale abductions.

Emergence of Involvement

The role of these mercenaries was first uncovered in 2024, after an investigation which disclosed that over three hundred retired troops had been recruited to fight – an event that prompted an rare mea culpa from Colombia’s foreign ministry.

Colombian ex-soldiers have widely regarded as among the world’s most sought-after mercenaries due to their considerable warzone knowledge gleaned from decades of civil war, training on Western military gear, and high-level combat training.

Role in the Conflict

In the conflict, the mercenaries have reportedly trained minors, taught fighters to pilot drones, and fought directly on the frontlines. One source was quoted as saying that instructing minors was "awful and crazy" but noted that "sadly, that is the nature of conflict".

Targeted Persons

Among those penalized was Álvaro Andrés Quijano Becerra, a individual with dual citizenship and former army officer based in the United Arab Emirates. The US authorities accused him a key part in recruiting and deploying ex-military personnel to Sudan. His spouse, Claudia Viviana Oliveros Forero, was also sanctioned.

Also on the restricted list was Mateo Duque Botero, a individual with Colombian and Spanish citizenship who officials alleged oversaw a company accused of handling funds and payroll for the network. "In 2024 and 2025, American entities associated with Duque carried out multiple financial transactions, totalling millions of US dollars," the official announcement noted.

Individual Mónica Muñoz was the final person to be targeted, with the company she managed alleged to have money transfers associated with Duque and his operations.

"The US once more urges outside forces to halt the flow of financial and military support to the combatants," the agency stated.

Expert Analysis

A senior analyst, senior analyst at the International Crisis Group, called the actions as a "highly important" development, noting that "identifying the recruiters is the correct approach".

She added that, Colombia recently passed a law endorsing the anti-mercenary convention, designed to limit decades of Colombian involvement in foreign conflicts and change national security policy.

Another expert, an expert on mercenaries, urged more caution, saying that "restrictions are needed but not enough for dealing with widespread use of contractors".

"It’s an illicit economy and centered in the UAE, which is relatively sanction-proof," he commented. The Emirati government has been widely accused of providing arms to the militia, claims it rejects. "More contractors from Colombia are likely," McFate warned.