US Treasury sanctions Colombian recruitment network fueling Sudan's civil war
In brief
- OFAC sanctioned five individuals and entities targeting Colombian recruitment network on April 17, 2026
- Colombian network recruited hundreds of former military personnel for Sudan's Rapid Support Forces since 2024
- Sudan's civil war has killed over 150,000 people and displaced 14 million since April 2023
Targeting foreign recruitment
OFAC executed these designations under Executive Order 14098, the same authority used in prior Sudan-related enforcement actions. The sanctioned parties' property within US jurisdiction is frozen immediately. The Colombian network's operation since 2024 means it has been active for roughly two of the war's three years, a concentrated window of recruitment that OFAC determined warranted direct intervention.
The Rapid Support Forces, led by Mohammad Hamdan Daglo Mousa, have been central to the conflict's brutality. Daglo Mousa himself was designated by OFAC on January 7, 2025, in an earlier sanctions round. The addition of the Colombian recruitment apparatus signals US concern that foreign military expertise—particularly from personnel trained in counterinsurgency and combat operations—has become a material force multiplier for the RSF.
The toll and the intervention
Sudan's civil war has killed over 150,000 people since fighting erupted in April 2023. More than 14 million have been displaced, creating one of the world's worst humanitarian crises. The sanctions action does not involve cryptocurrency or digital assets—this is traditional financial sanctions targeting recruitment infrastructure and the individuals who operate it.
The Treasury's move reflects a narrower but sharper enforcement strategy: disrupting the operational pipelines that sustain armed groups, rather than pursuing broader financial networks. By targeting the Colombian intermediaries directly, OFAC aims to raise the cost of recruitment abroad and slow the influx of experienced fighters into Sudan's conflict.
