Uploaded June 2026 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago

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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.

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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
sipri.org/yearbook/2023/04
acleddata.com/report/wagner-group-operations-africa-civilian-targeting-trends-central-african-republic-and-mali
nytimes.com/2015/11/26/world/middleeast/emirates-secretly-sends-colombian-mercenaries-to-fight-in-yemen.html
theguardian.com/world/2026/may/08/four-men-convicted-haitian-president-assassination
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
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
thecitypaperbogota.com/global/colombians-now-the-biggest-foreign-contingent-on-ukraines-frontlines
mondediplo.com/2024/02/06colombia
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theguardian.com/world/2025/oct/08/colombian-mercenaries-sudan-war?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email
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bbc.com/news/articles/cn4vk13wgwwo
bbc.com/news/articles/c93nxqw00xxo
static1.squarespace.com/static/6967365f36aacc18599406e8/t/69e7da4dad33435e658c982c/1776802495385/BloodMoneyCIG.pdf
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seasonsofcrime.com/p/how-blackwater-conquered-latin-america
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truthout.org/articles/blackwater-founder-forms-secret-army-for-uae
middleeasteye.net/news/hundreds-colombian-mercenaries-fight-saudi-led-coalition-yemen
economist.com/the-americas/2026/02/04/why-so-many-colombians-fight-in-foreign-wars
newlinesmag.com/argument/from-afghanistan-to-colombia-the-war-on-terror-has-failed
https://x.com/umutcagrisari/status/1978866027489288339
lasillavacia.com/silla-nacional/mercenarios-colombianos-entrenan-a-ninos-soldado-en-sudan
theguardian.com/global-development/2025/dec/19/colombian-mercenaries-sudan-rsf-us-sanctions-recruited-uk-registered-firms-investigation
atlanticcouncil.org/dispatches/why-colombias-veterans-are-going-to-war-in-ukraine
apnews.com/article/sudan-rsf-uae-weapons-colombia-mercenaries-war-a696a7a451bb69354d6943c452106bc0
france24.com/en/live-news/20210710-mercenaries-the-sinister-export-from-colombia-s-conflict
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
theglobeandmail.com/world/article-colombia-mercenaries-sudan-child-soldiers-gustavo-petro