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The US government has levied restrictions on a group of four people and four firms charged of hiring South American contractors to combat alongside and instruct a Sudanese paramilitary group the United States claims of acts of genocide.

Network Composition

Revealing the restrictions on Tuesday, the Treasury stated the scheme was mostly comprised of Colombian nationals and companies.

Numerous of ex-soldiers from Colombia have allegedly journeyed to the conflict in Sudan to fight alongside the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a group linked to severe violations including ethnically targeted slaughter and mass abductions.

Emergence of Involvement

The participation of ex-soldiers was first uncovered in 2024, prompted by an report which disclosed that hundreds of former soldiers had been recruited to participate in the war – an revelation that led to an unusual statement of regret from Colombia’s foreign ministry.

Colombian ex-soldiers have widely regarded as highly prized fighters in conflict zones due to their vast combat experience gleaned from decades of civil war, familiarity with Western military gear, and superior tactical education.

Activities in Sudan

In Sudan, the mercenaries have been accused of teaching underage fighters, taught fighters to pilot drones, and participated in direct battles. An individual involved remarked that instructing minors was "horrific and irrational" but added that "unfortunately that’s how war is".

Named Entities

Among those targeted was Álvaro Andrés Quijano Becerra, a individual with dual citizenship and retired Colombian military officer based in the Dubai. The US authorities said he had a pivotal function in enlisting and transporting former Colombian soldiers to Sudan. His spouse, Claudia Oliveros, was penalized as well.

Also on the sanctions list was Duque Botero, a individual with Colombian and Spanish citizenship who authorities say managed a business linked to managing finances and payments for the scheme. "Recently, US-based firms associated with Duque conducted numerous wire transfers, amounting to millions," the official announcement said.

Individual Mónica Muñoz was the fourth individual to be targeted, with the firm she operated said to have conducted money transfers connected to Duque and his companies.

"The United States again calls on outside forces to cease providing financial and military support to the belligerents," the agency said in a statement.

Reaction

An expert, senior analyst at the International Crisis Group, called the sanctions as a "major" milestone, stating that "calling out those who are doing the contracting is the correct approach".

It was also noted that, Bogotá recently passed a law endorsing the global treaty against mercenarism, aiming to curb its citizens' long history in foreign conflicts and transform domestic defense strategy.

A mercenary specialist, a authority on private military contractors, urged more caution, stating that "penalties are required yet incomplete for addressing rampant mercenarism".

"It operates in the black market and operating from the Emirates, which is difficult to penalize," he said. The United Arab Emirates has been widely accused of supplying weapons to the paramilitary group, allegations it disputes. "Expect more Colombian mercenaries," the expert cautioned.