Washington Levies Restrictions on Network Accused of Recruiting Colombian Mercenaries to the Sudanese Conflict.

The United States has imposed sanctions on a group of several persons and entities alleged of hiring Colombian mercenaries to combat alongside and instruct a Sudanese paramilitary group the United States claims of committing 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.

Hundreds of former Colombian military personnel have reportedly travelled to the conflict in Sudan to operate with the Sudanese RSF militia, a faction accused of severe violations encompassing massacres based on ethnicity and mass abductions.

Revelation of Role

The involvement of Colombian fighters initially emerged the previous year, prompted by an inquiry which revealed that over three hundred retired troops had been hired to engage in combat – an discovery that resulted in an unusual statement of regret from officials in Bogotá.

Former Colombian military have historically been seen as highly prized fighters in conflict zones due to their extensive battlefield experience gleaned from decades of civil war, training on Nato equipment, and high-level combat training.

Role in the Conflict

In the conflict, the Colombians have allegedly instructed minors, taught fighters to pilot drones, and fought directly on the frontlines. An individual involved was quoted as saying that instructing minors was "horrific and irrational" but noted that "regrettably, war operates that way".

Named Entities

Among those targeted was Álvaro Andrés Quijano Becerra, a individual with dual citizenship and ex-soldier operating from the United Arab Emirates. The government alleged he played a pivotal function in hiring and sending former Colombian soldiers to Sudan. His wife, Claudia Viviana Oliveros Forero, was also sanctioned.

Also on the sanctions list was Mateo Andrés Duque Botero, a dual Colombian-Spanish citizen who the Treasury stated ran a firm linked to processing money and salaries for the scheme. "In 2024 and 2025, American entities connected to Duque engaged in numerous wire transfers, worth millions," the Treasury statement said.

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

"The US once more urges foreign parties to cease providing financial and military support to the warring parties," the agency stated.

Reaction

A senior analyst, from a conflict think tank, called the sanctions as a "very significant" step, saying that "identifying the recruiters is the correct approach".

She added that, Colombia has enacted a piece of legislation ratifying the global treaty against mercenarism, seeking to reduce years of participation by its nationals in foreign conflicts and reshape its security approach.

Another expert, a scholar on the subject, advised additional measures, noting that "penalties are required yet incomplete for combating rampant mercenarism".

"It’s an illicit economy and operating from the UAE, which is relatively sanction-proof," he commented. The UAE has been repeatedly implicated of supplying weapons to the paramilitary group, an accusation it has denied. "This trend will probably continue," McFate warned.