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The Washington has enforced penalties on a operation of four individuals and four companies alleged of hiring Colombian mercenaries to fight for and train a Sudanese paramilitary group that Washington accuses of committing genocide.

Operation Structure

Disclosing the sanctions on Tuesday, the American treasury stated the operation was mostly comprised of Colombian nationals and companies.

Numerous of retired Colombian troops have reportedly travelled to Sudan to fight alongside the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a faction accused of terrible atrocities such as targeted ethnic killings and mass abductions.

Emergence of Involvement

The role of these mercenaries first came to light last year, after an report which found that more than 300 retired troops had been recruited to engage in combat – an discovery that prompted an unusual statement of regret from Colombia’s foreign ministry.

Colombian ex-soldiers have widely regarded as among the world’s most sought-after mercenaries due to their extensive battlefield experience acquired during a long-running domestic war, training on advanced weaponry, and elite military instruction.

Role in the Conflict

In Sudan, the mercenaries have been accused of teaching child soldiers, provided drone warfare training, and fought directly on the frontlines. An individual involved previously stated that training children was "horrific and irrational" but noted that "unfortunately that’s how war is".

Targeted Persons

Among those penalized was Álvaro Andrés Quijano Becerra, a dual Colombian-Italian national and former army officer operating from the UAE. The Treasury alleged he played a central role in recruiting and deploying ex-military personnel to Sudan. His spouse, Claudia Oliveros, was penalized as well.

Also on the restricted list was Mateo Duque Botero, a individual with Colombian and Spanish citizenship who the Treasury stated managed a business implicated in processing money and salaries for the network. "In 2024 and 2025, US-based firms connected to Duque engaged in multiple financial transactions, worth millions," the official announcement stated.

Colombian national Mónica Muñoz was the other individual to be targeted, with the firm she operated alleged to have financial transactions associated with Duque and his operations.

"The United States again calls on outside forces to stop giving monetary and weaponry aid to the combatants," the Treasury announced.

Expert Analysis

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

It was also noted that, Bogotá ratified a piece of legislation approving the global treaty against mercenarism, designed to limit decades of Colombian involvement in international fights and reshape its security approach.

Sean McFate, an expert on mercenaries, called for greater wariness, noting that "restrictions are needed but not enough for addressing widespread use of contractors".

"It operates in the black market and based out of the Emirates, which is largely insulated from sanctions," he said. The Emirati government has been widely accused of providing arms to the militia, allegations it disputes. "More contractors from Colombia are likely," the expert cautioned.