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The US government has enforced penalties on a group of four individuals and four companies accused of hiring former Colombian soldiers to support and educate a Sudanese paramilitary group the United States claims of acts of genocide.

Group Makeup

Revealing the restrictions on Tuesday, the US Treasury Department stated the scheme was primarily made up of individuals and businesses from Colombia.

Numerous of ex-soldiers from Colombia have reportedly travelled to the conflict in Sudan to operate with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a faction accused of severe violations encompassing ethnically targeted slaughter and widespread kidnappings.

Emergence of Involvement

The participation of ex-soldiers was first uncovered last year, prompted by an inquiry which revealed that hundreds of former soldiers had been hired to fight – an revelation that led to an rare mea culpa from officials in Bogotá.

These South American veterans have historically been seen as some of the most in-demand contractors globally due to their vast combat experience acquired during decades of civil war, familiarity with Western military gear, and elite military instruction.

Reported Actions

In the Sudanese theater, the mercenaries have allegedly instructed child soldiers, provided drone warfare training, and fought directly on the frontlines. One source previously stated that working with child soldiers was "horrific and irrational" but noted that "regrettably, war operates that way".

Named Entities

Among those targeted was Álvaro Andrés Quijano Becerra, a citizen of both Colombia and Italy and former army officer located in the United Arab Emirates. The government accused him a pivotal function in hiring and sending former Colombian soldiers to Sudan. His spouse, Claudia Oliveros, was similarly targeted.

Also on the restricted list was Mateo Duque Botero, a individual with Colombian and Spanish citizenship who authorities say managed a business accused of handling funds and payroll for the network. "In 2024 and 2025, US-based firms linked to Duque carried out numerous wire transfers, totalling millions of US dollars," the official announcement noted.

Colombian national Mónica Muñoz Ucros was the fourth individual to be penalized, with the entity she oversaw said to have conducted wire transfers linked to Duque and his businesses.

"The US once more urges foreign parties to stop giving funding and arms to the belligerents," the Treasury announced.

Expert Analysis

An expert, from a conflict think tank, called the sanctions as a "major" milestone, saying that "targeting the enablers is the correct approach".

She added that, Colombia has enacted a piece of legislation endorsing the anti-mercenary convention, designed to limit decades of Colombian involvement in overseas wars and reshape national security policy.

Another expert, an expert on mercenaries, urged more caution, stating that "restrictions are needed but not enough for dealing with rampant mercenarism".

"This is a shadow economy and based out of the UAE, which is relatively sanction-proof," he stated. The Emirati government has been repeatedly implicated of supplying weapons to the paramilitary group, allegations it disputes. "More contractors from Colombia are likely," the expert cautioned.