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The US government has imposed sanctions on a group of four individuals and four companies accused of recruiting South American contractors to support and educate a militia force in Sudan which the US alleges of acts of genocide.

Operation Structure

Disclosing the measures on Tuesday, the American treasury stated the operation was largely composed of Colombian nationals and companies.

Hundreds of ex-soldiers from Colombia have been recruited to go to the Sudanese warzone to combat beside the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a group linked to terrible atrocities encompassing massacres based on ethnicity and mass abductions.

Revelation of Role

The role of these mercenaries first came to light in 2024, after an report which revealed that over three hundred retired troops had been hired to engage in combat – an discovery that led to an rare mea culpa from officials in Bogotá.

Colombian ex-soldiers have historically been seen as some of the most in-demand contractors globally due to their considerable warzone knowledge acquired during a long-running domestic war, familiarity with advanced weaponry, and high-level combat training.

Activities in Sudan

In the conflict, the Colombians have reportedly trained underage fighters, instructed militiamen in drone operation, and fought directly on the frontlines. A mercenary was quoted as saying that working with child soldiers was "terrible and insane" but noted that "sadly, that is the nature of conflict".

Named Entities

Among those penalized was Álvaro Andrés Quijano Becerra, a citizen of both Colombia and Italy and former army officer based in the Dubai. The US authorities accused him a central role in enlisting and transporting former Colombian soldiers to Sudan. His spouse, Claudia Oliveros, was penalized as well.

Also on the penalty list was Mateo Andrés Duque Botero, a dual Colombian-Spanish citizen who authorities say ran a firm implicated in handling funds and payroll for the recruitment operation. "In 2024 and 2025, US-based firms associated with Duque carried out several money transfers, totalling millions of US dollars," the official announcement said.

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

"The US once more urges external actors to halt the flow of financial and military support to the belligerents," the Treasury said in a statement.

Reaction

An expert, from a conflict think tank, described the actions as a "major" step, noting that "calling out those who are doing the contracting is the right way to go".

She added that, the Colombian government ratified a law ratifying the anti-mercenary convention, seeking to reduce decades of Colombian involvement in international fights and change domestic defense strategy.

Sean McFate, a authority on private military contractors, called for greater wariness, stating that "restrictions are needed but not enough for combating widespread use of contractors".

"It operates in the black market and operating from the Emirates, which is difficult to penalize," he stated. The Emirati government has been widely accused of providing arms to the militia, an accusation it has denied. "More contractors from Colombia are likely," the expert cautioned.