Colombia’s New Law Targets Mercenary Networks, Shields Coerced Recruits

(FILE) Photo: Senate of Colombia.

December 4, 2025 Hour: 5:34 am

The historic initiative protects those who were recruited by deception and strengthens state oversight over private security companies.

The Colombian Congress has approved a law ratifying the International Convention Against the Recruitment and Use of Mercenaries, aiming to curb decades of Colombian involvement in foreign conflicts and transform national security policy.

The legislation, backed by President Gustavo Petro and progressive lawmakers, creates a legal framework to punish recruiters, financiers, and operators of mercenary networks, while shielding individuals who were coerced or deceived from criminal liability.

“This law reaffirms that no democracy can allow its youth to be treated as disposable pawns in foreign wars”, President Petro said, calling mercenarism a modern form of human trafficking in which vulnerable young people are turned into “commodities for killing.”

Targeting Recruiters, Not Victims

This measure also strengthens oversight of private security companies, which the government says have sometimes funneled former Colombian military personnel into international conflicts under ambiguous contracts.

Victims of mercenary recruitment are recognized under a restorative approach, with criminal responsibility targeting recruiters and financiers rather than manipulated recruits.

The ratification enhances Colombia’s cooperation with international judicial mechanisms and sets the stage for extradition protocols against foreign-based recruiters.