Every year, hundreds of Colombian men, driven by financial desperation and limited opportunities at home, leave their country to fight on foreign soil. Many are veterans of Colombia’s armed forces or former combatants in illegal armed groups, carrying with them years of experience in guerrilla warfare, explosives, and counter-insurgency. While their skills make them highly sought-after fighter, their stories often end in tragedy, far from their homeland.
Now, the spotlight has turned to Sudan, where retired Colombian soldiers have reportedly become entangled in the country’s spiraling internal war over territorial control and its lucrative gold mines. Sudan’s conflict, which erupted in April 2023, has drawn international players, including Russia and the United Arab Emirates, further intensifying the violence. For many Colombians, the promise of high salaries abroad masks the deadly risks of being thrust into unfamiliar and hostile battlefields.
Colombian mercenaries’ prominence on the global stage is rooted in the country’s history of conflict. During its decades-long war with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), both state forces and paramilitary groups like the United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia (AUC) trained extensively in jungle warfare and counter-insurgency. The AUC, at its peak, counted with some 10,000 fighters in its rank-and-file, and under top commander Carlos Castaño, were part of a brutal force in the nation’s internal conflict.
While the AUC officially disarmed during Álvaro Uribe Vélez’s presidency (2002–2010), many ex-combatants sought new opportunities abroad, applying their combat expertise in shadowy frontlines. For others, the end of Colombia’s internal conflict offered little in terms of economic stability, pushing them into mercenary roles overseas.
From Haiti to Ukraine, and now Sudan, Colombian fighters have become a sought-after force for hire, praised for their adaptability in harsh conditions and ability to execute high-risk operations. Yet the costs are steep. Many do not return, their deaths barely acknowledged, or worse, their remains left in unmarked graves. For their families, the uncertainty is devastating.
The plight of retired Army Corporal Christian Lombana Moncayo highlights the growing risks for Colombians involved in foreign conflicts. Photographs of his peronal documents reached The City Paper, including the frontpage of his passport, national ID cédula, a TransMilenio bus card and poignant family photograph. According to our source, the pictures have been circulating widely on Arab-language websites. However, Lombana Moncayo’s fate remains unknown. Local reports offer conflicting accounts, with speculation ranging from abduction by local militias to his death in combat.
Colombian soldiers in Sudan appear to be caught in a shadowy recruitment pipeline, reportedly facilitated by Colombian security companies promising simple, high-paying missions. Instead, these mercenaries find themselves embroiled in one of the world’s most volatile conflicts. In the photographs that reached The City Paper, Army Corporal Lombana was born in Palestina, Caldas, on June 19, 1991.
Sudan’s war has created a deadly theater of operations, with rival factions backed by external powers fighting for control over gold mines. Russia’s Wagner Group and the UAE are believed to be involved, supplying arms and logistics to competing forces. Weapons and ammunition smuggled through neighboring countries like Libya and Chad have fueled the violence, violating a U.N. arms embargo.
Reports of Colombians killed in Sudan have begun to surface, adding to mounting concerns within the Ejercito Nacional. According to Semana, some families of retired soldiers claim their loved ones were recruited under false pretenses and killed in action shortly after arrival. Abel Rojas, a former coordinator for Colombia’s Ministry of Defense veterans’ group, described the situation as alarming during a recent interview with the news outlet.
“Soldiers are deceived by companies, organizations, and even veterans leading these processes,” said Rojas. “They are tricked into traveling to other countries to carry out activities that might fall under criminal offenses.”
For the families of these soldiers, the financial incentives often fail to outweigh the grief and uncertainty left behind. Many describe being unaware of the true nature of their loved ones’ missions until news of their deaths – or complete disappearance – reaches them in photographs posted on social media or few and far-between communiqués from the national government.
The involvement of Colombians in foreign wars is not new. According to Colombian Foreign Minister Luis Gilberto Murillo, 310 Colombians have died in Ukraine since Russia’s invasion in 2022. During this month to Moscow where Murillo was hosted at the Kremlin by his counterpart Sergey Lavrov, the senior Colombian diplomat also confirmed that 500 nationals have joined the conflict in Ukraine, with 100 still active and 100 more deserting.
The surge in foreign combatants in Ukraine, as well as two Colombian mercenaries held by Russia after they were arrested in Caracas, Venezuela, reflects a broader exploitation of economic desperation among Colombia’s retired military personnel. With the promise of opportunities for financial stability or even permanent residency abroad, men of all ages are accepting roles as mercenaries.
While the conflict in Sudan shows no signs of abating, according to the United Nations, more than 20,000 people have been killed since April 2023, and over 7 million are internally displaced. Another 2 million have fled to neighboring countries, while half of Sudan’s population – 25 million people – requires urgent humanitarian assistance.
What was once seen as Africa’s potential breadbasket is now on the brink of famine. The involvement of foreign actors in the war has prolonged the violence, with peace talks repeatedly failing. Arms trafficking and the influx of mercenaries have further destabilized the region, leaving Sudan in one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world.
For Colombian mercenaries, the risks of working in such volatile environments are clear. Yet as long as economic desperation persists, the cycle of recruitment is unlikely to end, raising serious ethical and security concerns that now extend beyond Colombia’s borders.
