🔗 Share this article

The US government has imposed sanctions on a group of four people and four firms alleged of hiring former Colombian soldiers to combat alongside and instruct a militia force in Sudan which the US alleges of genocidal acts.

Network Composition

Revealing the sanctions on Tuesday, the American treasury stated the operation was mostly comprised of Colombian citizens and firms.

Hundreds of former Colombian military personnel have reportedly travelled to the conflict in Sudan to combat beside the RSF paramilitary group, a group linked to terrible atrocities including ethnically targeted slaughter and mass abductions.

Emergence of Involvement

The role of these mercenaries initially emerged in 2024, following an investigation which found that hundreds of ex-military personnel had been hired to fight – an event that prompted an rare mea culpa from Colombia’s foreign ministry.

Colombian ex-soldiers have historically been seen as among the world’s most sought-after mercenaries due to their considerable warzone knowledge resulting from a long-running domestic war, training on Western military gear, and high-level combat training.

Reported Actions

In the Sudanese theater, the Colombians have been accused of teaching child soldiers, provided drone warfare training, and participated in direct battles. An individual involved previously stated that instructing minors was "horrific and irrational" but noted that "sadly, that is the nature of conflict".

Named Entities

Among those sanctioned was Álvaro Andrés Quijano Becerra, a dual Colombian-Italian national and ex-soldier based in the United Arab Emirates. The government accused him a key part in hiring and sending former Colombian soldiers to Sudan. His spouse, Claudia Oliveros, was penalized as well.

Also on the sanctions list was Mateo Andrés Duque Botero, a individual with Colombian and Spanish citizenship who the Treasury stated oversaw a company linked to managing finances and payments for the network. "In 2024 and 2025, US-based firms connected to Duque engaged in several money transfers, amounting to millions," the official announcement stated.

Individual Mónica Muñoz was the fourth individual to be sanctioned, with the firm she operated accused of wire transfers linked to Duque and his businesses.

"The United States again calls on outside forces to stop giving funding and arms to the belligerents," the department stated.

Expert Analysis

A senior analyst, senior analyst at the International Crisis Group, labeled the sanctions as a "very significant" step, saying that "calling out those who are doing the contracting is the proper strategy".

She added that, the Colombian government ratified a law approving the global treaty against mercenarism, seeking to reduce years of participation by its nationals in overseas wars and change domestic defense strategy.

Another expert, an expert on mercenaries, advised additional measures, noting that "penalties are required yet incomplete for addressing the growing mercenary trade".

"It’s an illicit economy and based out of the Emirates, which is difficult to penalize," he said. The Emirati government has been repeatedly implicated of arming the RSF, an accusation it has denied. "This trend will probably continue," McFate warned.