Behind the Haiti Assassination, Colombia’s Growing Mercenary Industry

Most of the war was waged by the country’s common soldiers, often from the country and the working class. But after retirement, usually around the age of 40 and after 20 years of service, many have said they were given few tools to succeed in civilian life.

The monthly retirement pension of $ 400 is little more than a living in cities like Bogotá. The main training component of the military reintegration program is a year of technical training in industries such as cooking and construction. But after losing these military benefits, many soldiers are forced to go into debt to pay for their families’ homes.

A 2019 Veterans Bill, endorsed by President Iván Duque, should address some of these issues. A fund was created which, among other things, grants loans to soldiers who are aiming for higher education.

Mr Molano, the Minister of Defense, defended the program.

“Of course you can always do more,” he said. “But compared to other Colombians,” he added, the treatment of the veterans was “appropriate”.

However, many former soldiers said they need more now. Some leave the military without being able to read or write. Others lack basic computer skills.

The assassination of the President of Haiti

Over the past decade, veterans’ desperation has collided with a growing global demand for private security, particularly in the Middle East, said Sean McFate, an expert on the mercenary industry and professor at Georgetown University.

In recent years, Colombian soldiers have gone to Iraq and Afghanistan to work for U.S. contractors and the United Arab Emirates, where many became wage laborers in the country’s intervention in Yemen. Some Colombians killed during these missions and others were killed, Mr. McFate said.