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The US government has levied restrictions on a network of four individuals and four companies charged of enlisting Colombian mercenaries to combat alongside and instruct a armed faction in Sudan the United States claims of genocidal acts.

Group Makeup

Disclosing the measures on Tuesday, the US Treasury Department stated the scheme was primarily made up of Colombian nationals and companies.

Scores of former Colombian military personnel have reportedly travelled to Sudan to combat beside the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a group linked to terrible atrocities encompassing massacres based on ethnicity and mass abductions.

Emergence of Involvement

The role of these mercenaries was first uncovered the previous year, following an report which disclosed that hundreds of retired troops had been recruited to engage in combat – an revelation that prompted an unusual statement of regret from the Colombian government.

Former Colombian military have long been considered as among the world’s most sought-after mercenaries due to their vast combat experience gleaned from years of internal conflict, training on advanced weaponry, and elite military instruction.

Role in the Conflict

In the conflict, the Colombians have allegedly instructed minors, provided drone warfare training, and participated in direct battles. One source previously stated that training children was "horrific and irrational" 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 retired Colombian military officer operating from the Dubai. The Treasury accused him a key part in recruiting and deploying ex-military personnel to Sudan. His wife, Claudia Oliveros, was also sanctioned.

Also on the penalty list was Mateo Andrés Duque Botero, a dual Colombian-Spanish citizen who the Treasury stated oversaw a company linked to managing finances and payments for the network. "In 2024 and 2025, American entities associated with Duque carried out numerous wire transfers, amounting to millions," the government release stated.

Citizen of Colombia Mónica Muñoz was the other individual to be penalized, with the firm she operated alleged to have money transfers associated with Duque and his businesses.

"The United States again calls on outside forces to cease providing monetary and weaponry aid to the belligerents," the agency said in a statement.

Analyst Commentary

Elizabeth Dickinson, with the International Crisis Group, labeled the actions as a "highly important" step, stating that "targeting the enablers is the right way to go".

Furthermore, Bogotá recently passed a piece of legislation endorsing the International Convention Against the Recruitment and Use of Mercenaries, seeking to reduce decades of Colombian involvement in international fights and reshape its security approach.

Another expert, a authority on private military contractors, called for greater wariness, saying that "penalties are required yet incomplete for combating the growing mercenary trade".

"This is a shadow economy and centered in the Emirates, which is relatively sanction-proof," he commented. The UAE has been repeatedly implicated of providing arms to the militia, claims it rejects. "More contractors from Colombia are likely," McFate warned.