announced<\/a> it had determined the RSF had committed genocide against ethnic groups in Sudan as part of its armed campaign, though it also highlighted abuses on both sides of the conflict.<\/p>\nTuesday\u2019s Treasury statement references that genocide determination and adds that the fighting threatens US interests in Africa.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe civil war in Sudan risks destabilizing the region and making the country a safe haven for those who threaten the United States,\u201d the statement reads.<\/p>\n
More than 300 Colombian recruits<\/h2>\n
While the Treasury has sanctioned RSF leaders and organisations in the past, Tuesday\u2019s economic penalties shine a spotlight on the role Colombian nationals have played in the fighting.<\/p>\n
According to the US government, hundreds of Colombian military veterans have flown to Sudan since September 2024, in order to intervene on the RSF\u2019s behalf.<\/p>\n
Many start by training RSF fighters, including child soldiers. They also provide RSF forces with information about operating drones, artillery and military-style vehicles.<\/p>\n
In addition, the US Treasury has accused Colombian nationals of engaging in the fighting firsthand, including during the 18-month siege on el-Fasher, the capital of the North Sudan state and a city the RSF seized in October.<\/p>\n
\u201cColombian fighters have participated in numerous battles across Sudan, including in its capital, Khartoum, as well as Omdurman, Kordofan, and El Fasher,\u201d the Treasury\u2019s statement reads.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe presence of Colombian fighters in Sudan would not be possible without the assistance of numerous individuals and companies, mostly from Colombia.\u201d<\/p>\n
In a September letter to the UN Security Council, a representative of Sudan\u2019s government estimated that between 350 to 380 Colombian mercenaries have arrived in the African country to participate in the fighting. Most of them, he said, were \u201cretired soldiers and officers of the Colombian Army\u201d.<\/p>\n
Colombia has gained a reputation as an international marketplace for mercenaries.<\/p>\n
Experts often point to the role of Colombia\u2019s own internal conflict in producing out-of-work fighters. Since 1964, Colombia has been mired in fighting between multiple armed forces, including right-wing paramilitary groups, left-wing rebels, criminal networks and the country\u2019s own military.<\/p>\n
Accusations of human rights abuses have been rampant in that conflict as well, and at least 450,000 people have been killed, according to a government truth commission.<\/p>\n
According to Tuesday\u2019s statement from the US Treasury, two of the sanctioned individuals, Quijano Becerra and his wife, Oliveros Forero, run a Bogota-based employment firm called International Services Agency.<\/p>\n
That firm, the Treasury says, holds \u201cgroup chats\u201d and \u201ctown halls\u201d to recruit Colombian fighters for Sudan, \u201cincluding drone operators, snipers, and translators\u201d.<\/p>\n
The organisation allegedly obscures its actions through a Panama-based company called Global Staffing, also known as Talent Bridge.<\/p>\n
The Treasury also sanctioned Duque Botero and Mu\u00f1oz Ucros for running another Bogota-based employment company with similar aims.<\/p>\n
That company, called Maine Global Corp, allegedly hires Colombians and works with Global Staffing to convert currency in order to ensure the fighters\u2019 payments. A fourth company, Comercializadora San Bendito, was accused of facilitating the wire transfers.<\/p>\n
From 2024 to 2025, the Treasury estimated the payments processed\u00a0amounted to \u201cmillions of US dollars\u201d. All four companies mentioned in the Treasury\u2019s statement faced sanctions, alongside their leaders.<\/p>\n
Sanctions freeze any assets individuals or groups may have in the US. They also make it illegal for US-based entities to do business with the designated individuals.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The United States government has issued sanctions against four Colombian nationals and the four businesses they help run, accusing them of forming a \u201ctransnational network\u201d to profit from Sudan\u2019s civil war. On Tuesday, the US Treasury published a statement identifying Alvaro Andres Quijano Becerra, Claudia Viviana Oliveros Forero, Mateo Andres Duque Botero and Monica Munoz […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4908,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4907","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-latin-america-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4907","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4907"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4907\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/4908"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4907"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4907"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4907"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}