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The Washington has enforced penalties on a operation of four people and four firms alleged of recruiting South American contractors to combat alongside and instruct a armed faction in Sudan the United States claims of acts of genocide.

Group Makeup

Disclosing the measures on Tuesday, the Treasury stated the scheme was mostly comprised of Colombian citizens and firms.

Scores of retired Colombian troops have reportedly travelled to the Sudanese warzone to fight alongside the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a force accused of severe violations including targeted ethnic killings and widespread kidnappings.

Discovery of Participation

The role of these mercenaries first came to light in 2024, following an inquiry which revealed that over three hundred retired troops had been contracted to fight – an discovery that led to an unprecedented apology from officials in Bogotá.

These South American veterans have widely regarded as some of the most in-demand contractors globally due to their extensive battlefield experience resulting from a long-running domestic war, knowledge of advanced weaponry, and high-level combat training.

Reported Actions

In the Sudanese theater, the mercenaries have reportedly trained child soldiers, instructed militiamen in drone operation, and participated in direct battles. A mercenary remarked that training children was "terrible and insane" but noted that "unfortunately that’s how war is".

Sanctioned Individuals

Among those penalized 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 hiring and sending former Colombian soldiers to Sudan. His wife, Claudia Oliveros, was also sanctioned.

Also on the restricted list was Duque Botero, a dual national who authorities say managed a business implicated in managing finances and payments for the recruitment operation. "In 2024 and 2025, companies in the United States associated with Duque engaged in several money transfers, totalling millions of US dollars," the Treasury statement said.

Citizen of Colombia Mónica Muñoz was the final person to be targeted, with the firm she operated alleged to have wire transfers associated with Duque and his businesses.

"The United States again calls on external actors to cease providing funding and arms to the warring parties," the Treasury stated.

Analyst Commentary

An expert, senior analyst at the International Crisis Group, called the measures as a "major" development, noting that "identifying the recruiters is the correct approach".

She added that, Bogotá recently passed a piece of legislation ratifying the global treaty against mercenarism, designed to limit its citizens' long history in international fights and change its security approach.

Another expert, a scholar on the subject, urged more caution, stating that "restrictions are needed but not enough for dealing with widespread use of contractors".

"It operates in the black market and based out of the UAE, which is relatively sanction-proof," he stated. The United Arab Emirates has been widely accused of providing arms to the militia, allegations it disputes. "More contractors from Colombia are likely," McFate warned.