🔗 Share this article

The Washington has levied restrictions on a network of several persons and entities accused of hiring former Colombian soldiers to fight for and train a armed faction in Sudan which the US alleges of committing genocide.

Group Makeup

Announcing the restrictions on Tuesday, the American treasury stated the operation was primarily made up of Colombian nationals and companies.

Hundreds of retired Colombian troops have allegedly journeyed to Sudan to fight alongside the RSF paramilitary group, a group accused of terrible atrocities such as ethnically targeted slaughter and mass abductions.

Revelation of Role

The involvement of Colombian fighters first came to light in 2024, following an inquiry which revealed that over three hundred retired troops had been contracted to participate in the war – an discovery that led to an unprecedented apology from Colombia’s foreign ministry.

These South American veterans have widely regarded as among the world’s most sought-after mercenaries due to their extensive battlefield experience acquired during a long-running domestic war, training on Nato equipment, and high-level combat training.

Activities in Sudan

In the Sudanese theater, the contractors have been accused of teaching child soldiers, taught fighters to pilot drones, and engaged in frontline combat. One source previously stated that training children was "terrible and insane" but added that "regrettably, war operates that way".

Sanctioned Individuals

Among those penalized was Álvaro Andrés Quijano Becerra, a dual Colombian-Italian national and ex-soldier based in the Dubai. The US authorities accused him a central role in recruiting and deploying ex-military personnel to Sudan. His wife, Claudia Viviana Oliveros Forero, was similarly targeted.

Also on the sanctions list was Duque Botero, a dual national who officials alleged ran a firm implicated in handling funds and payroll for the recruitment operation. "Over the past two years, companies in the United States connected to Duque carried out numerous wire transfers, totalling millions of US dollars," the official announcement stated.

Citizen of Colombia Mónica Muñoz was the fourth individual to be sanctioned, with the entity she oversaw said to have conducted wire transfers associated with Duque and his operations.

"Washington reiterates its demand for outside forces to stop giving monetary and weaponry aid to the combatants," the Treasury stated.

Expert Analysis

A senior analyst, senior analyst at the International Crisis Group, described the measures as a "highly important" milestone, stating that "calling out those who are doing the contracting is the correct approach".

She added that, Bogotá recently passed a statute endorsing the global treaty against mercenarism, seeking to reduce its citizens' long history in foreign conflicts and reshape its security approach.

A mercenary specialist, a scholar on the subject, advised additional measures, noting that "restrictions are needed but not enough for addressing rampant mercenarism".

"This is a shadow economy and based out of Dubai, which is largely insulated from sanctions," he stated. The United Arab Emirates has been widely accused of arming the RSF, claims it rejects. "More contractors from Colombia are likely," the expert cautioned.