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The United States has levied restrictions on a operation of four people and four firms alleged of hiring Colombian mercenaries to combat alongside and instruct a armed faction in Sudan that Washington accuses of committing genocide.

Operation Structure

Revealing the measures on Tuesday, the Treasury stated the operation was largely composed of individuals and businesses from Colombia.

Numerous of former Colombian military personnel have reportedly travelled to Sudan to operate with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a faction accused of terrible atrocities such as massacres based on ethnicity and mass abductions.

Revelation of Role

The involvement of Colombian fighters initially emerged last year, after an report which found that hundreds of retired troops had been recruited to participate in the war – an discovery that resulted in an unusual statement of regret from the Colombian government.

Colombian ex-soldiers have long been considered as some of the most in-demand contractors globally due to their considerable warzone knowledge resulting from a long-running domestic war, knowledge of Western military gear, and high-level combat training.

Activities in Sudan

In Sudan, the mercenaries have reportedly trained minors, provided drone warfare training, and engaged in frontline combat. An individual involved remarked that working with child soldiers was "horrific and irrational" but noted that "sadly, that is the nature of conflict".

Sanctioned Individuals

Among those sanctioned was Álvaro Andrés Quijano Becerra, a citizen of both Colombia and Italy and retired Colombian military officer located in the United Arab Emirates. The Treasury alleged he played a central role in recruiting and deploying former Colombian soldiers to Sudan. His spouse, Claudia Oliveros, was also sanctioned.

Also on the sanctions list was Mateo Duque Botero, a dual national who authorities say ran a firm accused of processing money and salaries for the scheme. "In 2024 and 2025, companies in the United States connected to Duque conducted multiple financial transactions, totalling millions of US dollars," the Treasury statement noted.

Individual Mónica Muñoz Ucros was the other individual to be sanctioned, with the entity she oversaw accused of wire transfers associated with Duque and his operations.

"The United States again calls on external actors to halt the flow of funding and arms to the warring parties," the department said in a statement.

Analyst Commentary

An expert, from a conflict think tank, described the actions as a "very significant" development, saying that "identifying the recruiters is the right way to go".

Furthermore, Colombia ratified a statute endorsing the International Convention Against the Recruitment and Use of Mercenaries, designed to limit years of participation by its nationals in overseas wars and reshape its security approach.

Sean McFate, a scholar on the subject, urged more caution, noting that "penalties are required yet incomplete for combating the growing mercenary trade".

"It operates in the black market and centered in Dubai, which is largely insulated from sanctions," he said. The United Arab Emirates has been repeatedly implicated of supplying weapons to the paramilitary group, claims it rejects. "More contractors from Colombia are likely," he advised.