By Nana Karikari, Senior Global Affairs Correspondent
The United States Department of the Treasury has expanded its sanctions regime against the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Sudan, targeting a sophisticated international recruitment network. On Friday, the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced measures against three individuals and two firms accused of deploying Colombian mercenaries to the Sudanese civil war. This conflict, now entering its fourth year, has created what the United Nations describes as the world’s largest humanitarian crisis.
Mercenary Pipelines from Bogota to Khartoum
Federal investigators identified a coordinated effort to funnel former Colombian military personnel into the Sudanese theater. Since 2024, hundreds of these veterans have reportedly traveled to Sudan to serve the RSF in combat and technical capacities, including roles as drone operators and snipers. These fighters have participated in major battles across the country, including the contested city of El-Fasher.
The sanctions highlight the adaptive nature of these networks. One primary target, the Bogota-based employment agency Fénix Human Resources S.A.S., was established in February 2025 specifically to replace the International Services Agency (A4SI). The U.S. had previously sanctioned A4SI in December 2025 for similar activities. Both firms were founded by Alvaro Andres Quijano Becerra, a retired Colombian military officer, and his wife, Claudia Viviana Oliveros Forero. This network relied on Panama-based Talent Bridge, S.A. to serve as a financial intermediary to obscure links between the recruiters and the RSF.
A Network of Tactical and Logistics Support
The Treasury also designated Global Qowa Al-Basheria S.A.S. (GQAB), also known as Mi Futuro Global. The firm is owned by Jose Oscar Garcia Batte, a former Colombian Army Colonel. Investigations revealed that Jose Garcia Batte knowingly recruited personnel for A4SI and Fénix despite being aware that these soldiers were destined for the RSF.
The recruitment network reportedly utilized intermediaries to handle funds and reduce legal exposure. Beyond Sudan, Jose Garcia Batte has also been linked to recruiting mercenaries for the conflict in Ukraine, supplying fighters to both sides of that war. The latest designations also include Fénix manager Jose Libardo Quijano Torres and GQAB’s legal representative Omar Fernando Garcia Batte.
Human Rights Crisis and Accusations of Genocide
The RSF emerged from the Arab Janjaweed militias, which were notorious for atrocities in Darfur during the early 2000s. The current conflict, which began on April 15, 2023, following a power struggle between the RSF and the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), has seen a resurgence of these tactics. The State Department has determined that RSF members committed “war crimes, crimes against humanity, and ethnic cleansing.”
Specific incidents, such as the October attack on El-Fasher, have drawn international condemnation. U.N.-commissioned experts noted the attack bore “the hallmarks of genocide,” with at least 6,000 people killed in a three-day span. The Treasury noted that the RSF has repeatedly carried out “summary executions, ethnically motivated attacks, sexual and gender-based violence, and torture throughout areas under its control.” In January 2025, the State Department further determined that members of the RSF and allied militias committed genocide in Sudan.
Global Implications and the Humanitarian Toll
The war has killed at least 59,000 people according to ACLED, though some reports suggest the death toll exceeds 150,000. Approximately 34 million people—nearly two out of every three Sudanese citizens—now require assistance. This destabilization has created a vacuum that the U.S. warns could allow terrorist groups to expand, threatening international peace and security.
“It is unacceptable that the leaders of the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces have not committed to a humanitarian truce to address the devastating famine created by the civil war in Sudan,” said Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent. “They must act to end this humanitarian crisis immediately.”
U.S. Diplomatic Strategy and Sanctions Enforcement
The Trump Administration has called for an immediate, three-month humanitarian truce without preconditions. This proposal aims to facilitate aid flow and protect civilians while creating space for permanent ceasefire negotiations. The U.S. also reiterated its demand for external actors to cease all military and financial support to both the SAF and RSF.
Under Executive Order 14098, the property and interests of the designated individuals are now blocked within the United States. The investigation was a joint effort between OFAC and U.S. Customs and Border Protection. OFAC emphasized that these measures are intended to compel a change in behavior rather than serve as mere punishment. To encourage compliance, the Treasury noted that individuals providing information leading to successful enforcement may be eligible for awards through the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network whistleblower incentive program.
The imposition of these sanctions underscores a shift in U.S. strategy toward targeting the commercial infrastructure of global conflict. By dismantling the financial and logistical pipelines that bridge South American tactical expertise with African paramilitary ambitions, Washington aims to isolate the RSF from the international mercenaries that sustain its offensive capabilities. Ultimately, the success of these measures depends on whether cutting off foreign reinforcements can force the warring factions toward the three-month humanitarian truce sought by the Trump Administration.
