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The United States has levied restrictions on a operation of four individuals and four companies accused of enlisting 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 US Treasury Department stated the operation was primarily made up of Colombian nationals and companies.

Scores of former Colombian military personnel have been recruited to go to the Sudanese warzone to combat beside the RSF paramilitary group, a faction accused of terrible atrocities including targeted ethnic killings and large-scale abductions.

Revelation of Role

The role of these mercenaries initially emerged last year, prompted by an inquiry which found that more than 300 former soldiers had been hired to engage in combat – an discovery that led to an rare mea culpa from the Colombian government.

These South American veterans have long been considered as some of the most in-demand contractors globally due to their vast combat experience gleaned from years of internal conflict, knowledge of Nato equipment, and high-level combat training.

Activities in Sudan

In the conflict, the contractors have been accused of teaching child soldiers, instructed militiamen in drone operation, and participated in direct battles. A mercenary remarked that instructing minors was "awful and crazy" but added 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 located in the Dubai. The government accused him a central role in enlisting and transporting mercenaries to Sudan. His wife, Claudia Viviana Oliveros Forero, was penalized as well.

Also on the sanctions list was Mateo Andrés Duque Botero, a dual national who authorities say ran a firm implicated in processing money and salaries for the recruitment operation. "In 2024 and 2025, US-based firms connected to Duque engaged in several money transfers, totalling millions of US dollars," the Treasury statement said.

Colombian national Mónica Muñoz Ucros was the final person to be penalized, with the company she managed said to have conducted wire transfers connected to Duque and his operations.

"The United States again calls on foreign parties to cease providing monetary and weaponry aid to the combatants," the Treasury stated.

Analyst Commentary

A senior analyst, from a conflict think tank, called the sanctions as a "highly important" development, stating that "calling out those who are doing the contracting is the correct approach".

Furthermore, the Colombian government recently passed a law approving the global treaty against mercenarism, designed to limit its citizens' long history in international fights and change domestic defense strategy.

Sean McFate, a authority on private military contractors, urged more caution, stating that "restrictions are needed but not enough for addressing widespread use of contractors".

"This is a shadow economy and operating from Dubai, which is difficult to penalize," he said. The United Arab Emirates has been widely accused of providing arms to the militia, an accusation it has denied. "This trend will probably continue," McFate warned.