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The Washington has enforced penalties on a operation of several persons and entities accused of enlisting Colombian mercenaries to fight for and train a armed faction in Sudan the United States claims of committing genocide.

Group Makeup

Disclosing the sanctions on this week, the Treasury stated the scheme was primarily made up of Colombian citizens and firms.

Hundreds of ex-soldiers from Colombia have been recruited to go to the conflict in Sudan to fight alongside the Sudanese RSF militia, a faction linked to terrible atrocities encompassing targeted ethnic killings and mass abductions.

Discovery of Participation

The role of these mercenaries was first uncovered in 2024, after an inquiry which disclosed that more than 300 ex-military personnel had been hired to participate in the war – an event that resulted in an rare mea culpa from the Colombian government.

Colombian ex-soldiers have long been considered as highly prized fighters in conflict zones due to their considerable warzone knowledge gleaned from a long-running domestic war, familiarity with Nato equipment, and superior tactical education.

Activities in Sudan

In Sudan, the Colombians have allegedly instructed minors, instructed militiamen in drone operation, and participated in direct battles. One source remarked that training children was "awful and crazy" but noted that "unfortunately that’s how war is".

Named Entities

Among those penalized was Álvaro Andrés Quijano Becerra, a dual Colombian-Italian national and ex-soldier operating from the UAE. The government said he had a key part in recruiting and deploying ex-military personnel to Sudan. His spouse, Claudia Oliveros, was also sanctioned.

Also on the penalty list was Mateo Andrés Duque Botero, a individual with Colombian and Spanish citizenship who authorities say managed a business accused of managing finances and payments for the recruitment operation. "Recently, American entities linked to Duque carried out numerous wire transfers, totalling millions of US dollars," the government release said.

Individual Mónica Muñoz was the final person to be sanctioned, with the firm she operated alleged to have wire transfers linked to Duque and his operations.

"Washington reiterates its demand for outside forces to cease providing monetary and weaponry aid to the warring parties," the agency announced.

Reaction

A senior analyst, with the International Crisis Group, labeled the sanctions as a "highly important" milestone, noting that "identifying the recruiters is the right way to go".

She added that, Colombia recently passed a law approving the anti-mercenary convention, designed to limit its citizens' long history in international fights and change domestic defense strategy.

A mercenary specialist, a scholar on the subject, advised additional measures, stating that "sanctions are necessary but insufficient for addressing rampant mercenarism".

"It’s an illicit economy and operating from Dubai, which is largely insulated from sanctions," he said. The UAE has been repeatedly implicated of supplying weapons to the paramilitary group, claims it rejects. "More contractors from Colombia are likely," he advised.