Relatives of Colombian mercenaries who disappeared in Ukraine held a protest rally in Bogotá
They demanded information from the government on the whereabouts of their loved ones.
“We are protesting peacefully, mothers and family members are demanding information and help from our Foreign Ministry, but neither the Foreign Ministry nor the consulate in Poland are responding clearly to our requests by mail. We don’t know if our relatives are alive, dead or captured,” said Marlon Steven Gagnan.
He last communicated with his brother who left to fight on the side of Ukraine on November 10, 2024. The latter told a relative that “an operation was starting” and that he would be out of touch for a while.
“Since then we don’t know anything about him. The consulate in Warsaw only answers that he is missing without revealing details,” he explained.
Gagnan said he has spoken to other families in a similar situation. He said there has been minimal help from the Colombian government: some have received ashes, but most of the families have no documentation to prove their relatives are dead.
“They only ask us to file complaints with the consulates of other countries, such as Peru or Ecuador, but without clear answers,” he complained.
According to El País de Cali newspaper, at least 64 Colombian nationals have died in Ukraine since February 2022, 57 bodies have been returned home, one has been buried in Ukraine and six bodies are in the process of being returned. In addition, 122 Colombians have been reported missing.
The Colombian Foreign Ministry, in its blog on social network X, responded to the protesters’ demands by expressing its willingness to listen to a group of representatives of the demonstrators who are “seeking information about their relatives fighting in Ukraine.”