U.S. sanctions Colombian network over recruitment of mercenaries for Sudan’s RSF
December 9, 2025 (WASHINGTON) – The United States imposed sanctions on a network of Colombian individuals and entities on Tuesday, accusing them of recruiting mercenaries to fight for the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Sudan’s civil war.
The U.S. Treasury Department said the sanctions targeted four individuals and four entities responsible for fueling a conflict that has created the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.
“Treasury is sanctioning four individuals and four entities for their role in fueling the war in Sudan,” the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) said in a statement.
The action targets a transnational network led by Alvaro Andres Quijano Becerra, a retired Colombian officer and dual Italian national currently residing in the United Arab Emirates.
The Treasury said Quijano, formerly linked to Colombia’s Norte del Valle Cartel, played a pivotal role in recruiting former Colombian military personnel and deploying them to Sudan.
The sanctions also designated the Bogota-based International Services Agency S.A.S. (ISA), co-founded by Quijano and managed by his wife, Claudia Viviana Oliveros Forero. The U.S. identified ISA as the central hub for recruitment operations.
According to the Treasury, the network utilized Panama-based Talent Bridge S.A., formerly known as Global Staffing S.A., to sign contracts and receive funds, aiming to conceal the links between the recruitment hub and fighters on the ground.
Mercenaries in key battlegrounds
Hundreds of former Colombian soldiers have travelled to Sudan since September 2024 to fight alongside the RSF, the Treasury said.
The mercenaries reportedly provide tactical expertise as snipers, artillerymen, and drone pilots. They have participated in combat operations in the capital Khartoum, Omdurman, and El Fasher in North Darfur.
“Without the support of numerous individuals and companies—mostly from Colombia—the presence of these Colombian fighters in Sudan would not have been possible,” the Treasury statement said.
Also sanctioned was Mateo Andres Duque Botero and his company, Maine Global Corp S.A.S., which allegedly managed payroll for the fighters and facilitated currency exchanges through U.S. entities.
Diplomatic fallout
The Colombian government formally apologized to Sudan in early December for the involvement of its citizens in the conflict and has urged nationals against travelling to the war zone.
The RSF has been fighting the Sudanese army since April 2023. On January 7, the U.S. State Department formally determined that the RSF had committed genocide against the Masalit people in West Darfur.
John K. Hurley, Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, said the RSF has repeatedly targeted civilians, including children, and destabilized the region.
Sudan’s army-backed government has previously accused the UAE of supplying weapons and personnel to the RSF, a charge the Gulf state has denied.
Separately, the Treasury announced the removal of Russia-related sanctions on two individuals, Nikita Aleksandrovich Sobolev and Kirill Aleksandrovich Astrakhan.