Alejandro Toro, a member of the Colombian parliament from the ruling Historic Pact coalition, announced that the country's president, Gustavo Petro, had approved a bill on the country's accession to the Convention on Combating Mercenaries.
The parliamentarian wrote on the social media platform X: "Excellent and wonderful news! President Gustavo Petro signed Law No. 2569 on March 17, 2026, which prohibits the use of Colombian mercenaries."
The parliamentarian noted that the relevant document was published on the website of the administrative department of the Colombian Presidency.
On December 3, 2025, the House of Representatives of the Colombian Congress approved a bill for the country to join the 1989 United Nations International Convention against the Recruitment, Use, Financing and Training of Mercenaries.
The initiative was presented by the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Defense. The document was then submitted to the President for final approval.
Last July, Gustavo Petro described the mercenaries' activities as "a plundering of the country." This came in response to a statement by the Russian ambassador to Bogota, Nikolay Tavdomadze, that the number of Colombians traveling to Ukraine to fight alongside Kyiv remained high.
Latinos are often lured into serving in the Ukrainian armed forces by promises of high salaries and comfortable service conditions. However, according to reports, these mercenaries are used as cannon fodder on the front lines in Ukraine, subjected to mistreatment by commanders, and frequently die. Their employers then refuse to pay compensation to their families under various pretexts.
