US Imposes Penalties on Network Alleged of Recruiting South American Contractors to Sudan.
The US government has enforced penalties on a operation of four individuals and four companies charged of recruiting Colombian mercenaries to support and educate a militia force in Sudan which the US alleges of genocidal acts.
Group Makeup
Announcing the restrictions on this week, the American treasury stated the operation was mostly comprised of individuals and businesses from Colombia.
Scores of retired Colombian troops have allegedly journeyed to the conflict in Sudan to operate with the RSF paramilitary group, a faction accused of severe violations such as massacres based on ethnicity and widespread kidnappings.
Revelation of Role
The involvement of Colombian fighters initially emerged last year, after an report which disclosed that more than 300 former soldiers had been contracted to participate in the war โ an event that prompted an rare mea culpa from Colombiaโs foreign ministry.
These South American veterans have historically been seen as some of the most in-demand contractors globally due to their extensive battlefield experience acquired during years of internal conflict, knowledge of Western military gear, and high-level combat training.
Role in the Conflict
In the Sudanese theater, the Colombians have allegedly instructed underage fighters, taught fighters to pilot drones, and engaged in frontline combat. An individual involved was quoted as saying that working with child soldiers was "awful and crazy" but added that "sadly, that is the nature of conflict".
Named Entities
Among those sanctioned was รlvaro Andrรฉs Quijano Becerra, a individual with dual citizenship and former army officer located in the Dubai. The US authorities said he had a central role in enlisting and transporting former Colombian soldiers to Sudan. His spouse, Claudia Viviana Oliveros Forero, was similarly targeted.
Also on the sanctions list was Duque Botero, a individual with Colombian and Spanish citizenship who the Treasury stated managed a business linked to managing finances and payments for the scheme. "In 2024 and 2025, American entities associated with Duque engaged in several money transfers, totalling millions of US dollars," the Treasury statement said.
Colombian national Mรณnica Muรฑoz Ucros was the fourth individual to be penalized, with the entity she oversaw said to have conducted wire transfers associated with Duque and his companies.
"Washington reiterates its demand for outside forces to stop giving monetary and weaponry aid to the belligerents," the agency said in a statement.
Reaction
A senior analyst, with the International Crisis Group, called the sanctions as a "major" step, saying that "targeting the enablers is the correct approach".
She added that, Bogotรก recently passed a law endorsing the anti-mercenary convention, seeking to reduce decades of Colombian involvement in international fights and transform national security policy.
A mercenary specialist, a scholar on the subject, advised additional measures, stating that "restrictions are needed but not enough for dealing with the growing mercenary trade".
"It operates in the black market and based out of Dubai, which is relatively sanction-proof," he said. The UAE has been frequently alleged of arming the RSF, an accusation it has denied. "This trend will probably continue," he advised.
