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The Washington has levied restrictions on a group of several persons and entities alleged of enlisting South American contractors to combat alongside and instruct a militia force in Sudan which the US alleges of committing genocide.

Operation Structure

Announcing the measures on Tuesday, the Treasury stated the scheme was mostly comprised of Colombian nationals and companies.

Numerous of former Colombian military personnel have allegedly journeyed to Sudan to operate with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a faction accused of terrible atrocities encompassing ethnically targeted slaughter and large-scale abductions.

Emergence of Involvement

The role of these mercenaries was first uncovered in 2024, after an investigation which disclosed that more than 300 ex-military personnel had been hired to participate in the war – an discovery that led to an rare mea culpa from officials in Bogotá.

These South American veterans have long been considered as some of the most in-demand contractors globally due to their extensive battlefield experience resulting from decades of civil war, familiarity with Nato equipment, and high-level combat training.

Activities in Sudan

In Sudan, the Colombians have allegedly instructed minors, instructed militiamen in drone operation, and fought directly on the frontlines. An individual involved was quoted as saying that training children was "awful and crazy" but commented that "unfortunately that’s how war is".

Named Entities

Among those sanctioned was Álvaro Andrés Quijano Becerra, a dual Colombian-Italian national and former army officer based in the Dubai. The US authorities accused him a key part in recruiting and deploying former Colombian soldiers to Sudan. His wife, Claudia Viviana Oliveros Forero, was penalized as well.

Also on the sanctions list was Mateo Duque Botero, a individual with Colombian and Spanish citizenship who officials alleged managed a business linked to handling funds and payroll for the recruitment operation. "Over the past two years, US-based firms connected to Duque conducted several money transfers, worth millions," the government release said.

Colombian national Mónica Muñoz was the other individual to be targeted, with the company she managed accused of money transfers linked to Duque and his businesses.

"Washington reiterates its demand for external actors to halt the flow of monetary and weaponry aid to the belligerents," the department said in a statement.

Expert Analysis

Elizabeth Dickinson, senior analyst at the International Crisis Group, called the sanctions as a "highly important" step, stating that "calling out those who are doing the contracting is the right way to go".

Furthermore, the Colombian government ratified a piece of legislation approving the anti-mercenary convention, designed to limit decades of Colombian involvement in international fights and transform its security approach.

A mercenary specialist, an expert on mercenaries, called for greater wariness, saying that "penalties are required yet incomplete for dealing with the growing mercenary trade".

"It’s an illicit economy and based out of the Emirates, which is difficult to penalize," he stated. The United Arab Emirates has been frequently alleged of supplying weapons to the paramilitary group, an accusation it has denied. "Expect more Colombian mercenaries," he advised.