🔗 Share this article US Imposes Penalties on Network Accused of Funneling South American Mercenaries to Sudan. The US government has imposed sanctions on a group of several persons and entities accused of recruiting former Colombian soldiers to support and educate a Sudanese paramilitary group that Washington accuses of committing genocide. Group Makeup Revealing the restrictions on this week, the US Treasury Department stated the scheme was mostly comprised of individuals and businesses from Colombia. Hundreds of former Colombian military personnel have been recruited to go to Sudan to fight alongside the Sudanese RSF militia, a group implicated in terrible atrocities encompassing ethnically targeted slaughter and large-scale abductions. Emergence of Involvement The involvement of Colombian fighters initially emerged in 2024, after an report which disclosed that more than 300 retired troops had been contracted to participate in the war – an revelation that prompted an rare mea culpa from Colombia’s foreign ministry. Colombian ex-soldiers have historically been seen as highly prized fighters in conflict zones due to their extensive battlefield experience acquired during decades of civil war, familiarity with advanced weaponry, and high-level combat training. Reported Actions In the conflict, the contractors have reportedly trained minors, provided drone warfare training, and fought directly on the frontlines. An individual involved was quoted as saying that instructing minors was "horrific and irrational" but commented that "unfortunately that’s how war is". Sanctioned Individuals Among those targeted was Álvaro Andrés Quijano Becerra, a dual Colombian-Italian national and retired Colombian military officer operating from the Dubai. The US authorities accused him a key part in hiring and sending former Colombian soldiers to Sudan. His wife, Claudia Viviana Oliveros Forero, was also sanctioned. Also on the restricted list was Duque Botero, a individual with Colombian and Spanish citizenship who officials alleged managed a business implicated in handling funds and payroll for the recruitment operation. "In 2024 and 2025, American entities connected to Duque conducted multiple financial transactions, totalling millions of US dollars," the Treasury statement stated. Individual Mónica Muñoz was the final person to be targeted, with the firm she operated alleged to have financial transactions connected to Duque and his operations. "The US once more urges external actors to halt the flow of funding and arms to the warring parties," the agency said in a statement. Expert Analysis An expert, from a conflict think tank, called the actions as a "very significant" step, saying that "identifying the recruiters is the proper strategy". Furthermore, Bogotá has enacted a piece of legislation endorsing the International Convention Against the Recruitment and Use of Mercenaries, aiming to curb its citizens' long history in foreign conflicts and change its security approach. Another expert, a authority on private military contractors, advised additional measures, stating that "restrictions are needed but not enough for combating rampant mercenarism". "This is a shadow economy and based out of Dubai, which is largely insulated from sanctions," he commented. The Emirati government has been repeatedly implicated of providing arms to the militia, claims it rejects. "This trend will probably continue," McFate warned.