US Imposes Penalties on Group Accused of Recruiting South American Fighters to the Sudanese Conflict.

The United States has enforced penalties on a group of four people and four firms alleged of recruiting South American contractors to combat alongside and instruct a militia force in Sudan that Washington accuses of committing genocide.

Group Makeup

Announcing the restrictions on Tuesday, the Treasury stated the scheme was largely composed of individuals and businesses from Colombia.

Scores of former Colombian military personnel have reportedly travelled to Sudan to combat beside the Sudanese RSF militia, a force accused of terrible atrocities encompassing massacres based on ethnicity and large-scale abductions.

Revelation of Role

The involvement of Colombian fighters first came to light last year, after an report which disclosed that over three hundred retired troops had been hired to participate in the war – an event that resulted in an unusual statement of regret from Colombia’s foreign ministry.

Former Colombian military have widely regarded as some of the most in-demand contractors globally due to their vast combat experience resulting from decades of civil war, knowledge of advanced weaponry, and elite military instruction.

Role in the Conflict

In the conflict, the Colombians have allegedly instructed child soldiers, taught fighters to pilot drones, and engaged in frontline combat. One source was quoted as saying that training children was "terrible and insane" but commented that "unfortunately that’s how war is".

Targeted Persons

Among those penalized was Álvaro Andrés Quijano Becerra, a citizen of both Colombia and Italy and former army officer located in the United Arab Emirates. The US authorities alleged he played a central role in hiring and sending ex-military personnel to Sudan. His wife, Claudia Viviana Oliveros Forero, was also sanctioned.

Also on the sanctions list was Duque Botero, a individual with Colombian and Spanish citizenship who authorities say ran a firm implicated in processing money and salaries for the network. "In 2024 and 2025, US-based firms linked to Duque carried out numerous wire transfers, amounting to millions," the government release noted.

Citizen of Colombia Mónica Muñoz Ucros was the final person to be targeted, with the company she managed alleged to have wire transfers connected to Duque and his operations.

"The United States again calls on outside forces to cease providing funding and arms to the combatants," the department announced.

Expert Analysis

An expert, senior analyst at the International Crisis Group, labeled the sanctions as a "highly important" step, saying that "targeting the enablers is the correct approach".

She added that, Colombia recently passed a law ratifying the anti-mercenary convention, designed to limit decades of Colombian involvement in international fights and reshape its security approach.

A mercenary specialist, a authority on private military contractors, urged more caution, saying that "sanctions are necessary but insufficient for dealing with rampant mercenarism".

"It’s an illicit economy and operating from the Emirates, which is relatively sanction-proof," he stated. The Emirati government has been repeatedly implicated of supplying weapons to the paramilitary group, claims it rejects. "Expect more Colombian mercenaries," the expert cautioned.