Colombian Mercenaries Are Fighting Wars Across the World. Why?

From Ukraine to Sudan, discover why Colombian mercenaries dominate modern battlefields, the shadowy networks recruiting them, and the human cost behind one of the world's fastest-growing industries of war today. Stay ahead of global conflicts with WarFronts Weekly. Get sharp, no-nonsense military analysis straight to your inbox. Subscribe: https://fronts.co/warfronts-weekly Get full conflict briefings, and members-only analysis at fronts.co https://fronts.co Join the community and discuss current flashpoints in real time: https://www.reddit.com/r/frontsco Love the content? Explore Simon's other YouTube channels: Megaprojects: https://www.youtube.com/@megaprojects9649 SideProjects: https://www.youtube.com/@Sideprojects Into The Shadows: https://www.youtube.com/@IntotheShadows Today I Found Out: https://www.youtube.com/@TodayIFoundOut Brain Blaze: https://www.youtube.com/@brainblaze6526 Casual Criminalist: https://www.youtube.com/@TheCasualCriminalist Decoding the Unknown: https://www.youtube.com/@decodingtheunknown2373 Places: https://www.youtube.com/@Places302 Celestium: https://www.youtube.com/@Celestium1234 HomeFronts: https://www.youtube.com/@homefronts Simon on social: Twitter: https://twitter.com/SimonWhistler Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/simonwhistler/ References https://www.inss.org.il/publication/mercenaries-in-the-middle-east/ https://icct.nl/publication/foreign-fighters-foreign-volunteers-and-mercenaries-ukrainian-armed-conflict https://www.sipri.org/yearbook/2023/04 https://acleddata.com/report/wagner-group-operations-africa-civilian-targeting-trends-central-african-republic-and-mali https://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/26/world/middleeast/emirates-secretly-sends-colombian-mercenaries-to-fight-in-yemen.html https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/may/08/four-men-convicted-haitian-president-assassination https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-57762246 https://www.lemonde.fr/en/international/article/2026/05/08/us-jusy-convicts-four-men-over-plot-to-assassinate-president-of-haiti_6753270_4.html https://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/07/world/americas/haiti-assassination-colombia-mercenaries.html https://aa.com.tr/en/americas/colombias-president-apologizes-to-haiti-for-involvement-of-compatriots-in-moise-killing/3459801 https://thecitypaperbogota.com/global/colombians-now-the-biggest-foreign-contingent-on-ukraines-frontlines/ https://mondediplo.com/2024/02/06colombia https://adf-magazine.com/2026/01/report-exposes-colombian-mercenaries-fighting-for-rsf/ https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/oct/08/colombian-mercenaries-sudan-war?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/uae-colombia-sign-comprehensive-economic-partnership-agreement-uae-president-2024-04-18/ https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cn4vk13wgwwo https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c93nxqw00xxo https://static1.squarespace.com/static/6967365f36aacc18599406e8/t/69e7da4dad33435e658c982c/1776802495385/BloodMoneyCIG.pdf https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2003/6/5/israels-latin-american-trail-of-terror https://www.wrmea.org/other/colombias-challenge-to-israeli-impunity.html https://jacobin.com/2024/05/colombia-israel-patriotic-union-genocide https://www.pilotonline.com/2006/09/02/blackwater-and-colombian-workers-clash-over-pay-scale/ https://www.thetimes.com/comment/register/article/colombian-mercenaries-weigh-in-to-yemen-war-zqwwx8dj9rv https://www.seasonsofcrime.com/p/how-blackwater-conquered-latin-america https://archive-yaleglobal.yale.edu/content/latin-americas-hidden-war-iraq https://truthout.org/articles/blackwater-founder-forms-secret-army-for-uae/ https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/hundreds-colombian-mercenaries-fight-saudi-led-coalition-yemen https://www.economist.com/the-americas/2026/02/04/why-so-many-colombians-fight-in-foreign-wars https://newlinesmag.com/argument/from-afghanistan-to-colombia-the-war-on-terror-has-failed/ https://x.com/umutcagrisari/status/1978866027489288339 https://www.lasillavacia.com/silla-nacional/mercenarios-colombianos-entrenan-a-ninos-soldado-en-sudan/ https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2025/dec/19/colombian-mercenaries-sudan-rsf-us-sanctions-recruited-uk-registered-firms-investigation https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/dispatches/why-colombias-veterans-are-going-to-war-in-ukraine/ https://apnews.com/article/sudan-rsf-uae-weapons-colombia-mercenaries-war-a696a7a451bb69354d6943c452106bc0 https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20210710-mercenaries-the-sinister-export-from-colombia-s-conflict https://www.wsj.com/world/africa/sudan-colombian-mercenaries-global-security-services-9ff2a201?gaa_at=eafs&gaa_n=AWEtsqdEvl6GSHRn9Dt93To_Vf6pyjFzuG9nCh0cQQAaVOLUUMc1GrAKrBLMWMKvKHg%3D&gaa_ts=69a60481&gaa_sig=_J2KYp5BL6JQqHdpSvwhxHOm5NtsLgGyn591lmJ2a6bNSuTIWOdedPN63-ynlT9QEFOreto90vymDc_WFX6N4w%3D%3D https://www.theglobeandmail.com/world/article-colombia-mercenaries-sudan-child-soldiers-gustavo-petro/

Fronts Staff • June 9, 2026