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The US government has levied restrictions on a group of four people and four firms charged of recruiting South American contractors to support and educate a armed faction in Sudan which the US alleges of committing genocide.

Operation Structure

Revealing the sanctions on Tuesday, the American treasury stated the scheme was primarily made up of Colombian nationals and companies.

Scores of former Colombian military personnel have allegedly journeyed to the Sudanese warzone to fight alongside the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a faction linked to horrific war crimes encompassing targeted ethnic killings and widespread kidnappings.

Emergence of Involvement

The participation of ex-soldiers initially emerged in 2024, after an report which disclosed that more than 300 former soldiers had been recruited to engage in combat – an event that prompted an rare mea culpa from Colombia’s foreign ministry.

These South American veterans have widely regarded as some of the most in-demand contractors globally due to their extensive battlefield experience resulting from decades of civil war, knowledge of advanced weaponry, and elite military instruction.

Activities in Sudan

In the conflict, the Colombians have allegedly instructed child soldiers, provided drone warfare training, and fought directly on the frontlines. An individual involved previously stated that working with child soldiers was "terrible and insane" but commented that "unfortunately that’s how war is".

Named Entities

Among those targeted was Álvaro Andrés Quijano Becerra, a dual Colombian-Italian national and retired Colombian military officer operating from the UAE. The US authorities alleged he played a pivotal function in hiring and sending former Colombian soldiers to Sudan. His wife, Claudia Oliveros, was penalized as well.

Also on the penalty list was Duque Botero, a dual national who the Treasury stated managed a business linked to processing money and salaries for the network. "Recently, US-based firms associated with Duque conducted numerous wire transfers, totalling millions of US dollars," the government release said.

Individual Mónica Muñoz Ucros was the other individual to be penalized, with the entity she oversaw said to have conducted money transfers connected to Duque and his operations.

"The United States again calls on external actors to cease providing financial and military support to the belligerents," the Treasury stated.

Reaction

Elizabeth Dickinson, senior analyst at the International Crisis Group, labeled the sanctions as a "highly important" development, noting that "targeting the enablers is the right way to go".

She added that, Bogotá recently passed a piece of legislation approving the International Convention Against the Recruitment and Use of Mercenaries, aiming to curb years of participation by its nationals in overseas wars and transform its security approach.

A mercenary specialist, a authority on private military contractors, called for greater wariness, noting that "restrictions are needed but not enough for combating rampant mercenarism".

"It operates in the black market and based out of the Emirates, which is relatively sanction-proof," he said. The United Arab Emirates has been frequently alleged of arming the RSF, an accusation it has denied. "This trend will probably continue," McFate warned.