From Darfur to Donbas, growing numbers of Colombian soldiers-for-hire are leaving their South American home to fight and die in foreign wars, placing Colombia’s mercenaries at the centre of intense controversy at home and abroad.

Colombian fighters are a popular choice for foreign armies: they have active combat experience from the country’s long-running internal armed conflict, often train side-by-side with the United States military, and are willing to work for lower wages than many other mercenaries of their calibre.

But as Colombian fighters flow into the ranks of armies around the world, bereaved families, domestic politicians, and foreign governments are calling for greater constraints against the country’s exportation of modern mercenaries.

“They are kids who come from war and wa

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