WASHINGTON — The United States has imposed sweeping sanctions on a transnational recruitment network accused of supplying fighters — including those who trained children — to Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group Washington says has committed genocide and repeatedly targeted civilians during the country’s civil war.
The U.S. Treasury Department announced sanctions on four individuals and four entities tied to a Colombia-led operation that has deployed hundreds of former Colombian military personnel to fight for the RSF since at least 2024.
Officials said these fighters have served as infantry, artillerymen, drone pilots, vehicle operators and instructors — with some directly involved in training child soldiers for the paramilitary group.
Treasury Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence John Hurley said the action targets a network enabling RSF brutality.
“The RSF has shown again and again that it is willing to target civilians including infants and young children,” Hurley said.
“Its brutality has deepened the conflict and destabilized the region, creating conditions for terrorist groups to grow.”
Colombian fighters bolstering RSF operations
According to U.S. findings, former Colombian soldiers have played a central role in RSF battlefield operations across Sudan, including in Khartoum, Omdurman, Kordofan and El-Fasher. Their participation intensified the RSF’s October 2025 capture of El Fasher after an 18-month siege, which the U.S. says was followed by mass killings, ethnically targeted torture and widespread sexual violence.
The State Department in January 2025 determined that RSF members had committed genocide.
Among those sanctioned is Alvaro Andres Quijano Becerra, a dual Colombian-Italian national based in the UAE, accused of orchestrating the recruitment pipeline.
U.S. officials say he relied on Colombian and Panamanian companies to recruit, contract and move money for fighters deployed to Sudan.
Washington reiterated its call for external actors to halt support for Sudan’s warring parties.
RSF crimes: systematic attacks on civilians
The Treasury detailed repeated RSF atrocities since the conflict erupted in April 2023, including:
The RSF’s actions, Treasury said, continue to fuel famine, ethnic violence and mass displacement, deepening what the U.N. calls the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.
Conflict continues as peace efforts stall
The Sudanese civil war — pitting the army against the RSF — has caused more than 40,000 deaths, though aid groups say the true toll is far higher.
The RSF’s recent acceptance of a proposed three-month truce quickly unraveled, with the group launching drone attacks on army positions days later.
The U.S., UAE, Egypt and Saudi Arabia, known as the “Quad,” have backed a plan calling for a humanitarian pause followed by peace talks and a transition to a civilian-led government.
Washington said it remains committed to that roadmap as it seeks to isolate actors prolonging the conflict. — SG
