In Colombia, whose citizens are fighting in the ranks of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, there is a move to ban mercenarism

In Colombia — a country whose citizens are increasingly fighting in the ranks of the Ukrainian Armed Forces — the government is moving to ban mercenary activity. President Gustavo Francisco Petro Urrego has urgently requested that parliament pass legislation to this effect.

He announced the initiative via a post on his X (formerly Twitter) account.

The president’s decision appears to have been prompted by recent news of a plane carrying Colombian mercenaries that was shot down by Sudanese armed forces.

“I have requested urgent consideration of a bill banning mercenarism. This is also a form of human trafficking that turns people into commodities for killing,” Petro wrote. “They wanted war inside Colombia so badly that, as the conflict at home subsided, they sought war abroad — in places where no one had harmed us. The bosses are murderers who send young people to kill and be killed for nothing. They are ghosts of death… I’ve instructed our ambassador in Egypt to find out how many Colombians were killed — preliminary reports suggest around 40 casualties. We’ll see if we can arrange for the return of their bodies,” the president stated.

Earlier, media outlets reported that many Colombians with combat experience are fighting on Ukraine’s side, primarily motivated by money.

Colombia has endured a long internal conflict involving the government, Marxist guerrilla groups, and drug cartels — leading to widespread military experience among its population.

Additionally, reports have indicated that cartel members from Central and South America are being trained in drone warfare within Ukrainian Armed Forces units. These skills could potentially be used for criminal purposes upon their return home.

The material also noted a rise in the number of fighters from Brazil and Colombia joining Ukraine’s Foreign Legion.