Violence in Mexico

Mercenaries from Colombia lured by fat cartel salaries

Former Colombian military personnel are being hired as mercenaries in the Mexican cartel war. The development has accelerated recently, writes El País' editorial office in Latin America.

The soldiers are assigned, among other things, to train assassins and manufacture explosives, say a dozen anonymous sources in Mexico and Colombia. The newspaper has also seen job advertisements that emphasize the high salary.

"The job is to guard the square, make sure that no one disturbs and clean up those who do. Do what the district leadership tells you. Any questions?" reads one advertisement.

The recruitment has been carried out in secret for years. The Colombian soldiers are well-trained and have combat experience, which makes them highly regarded. Colombia has one of the best-trained armies in the world, according to El País. But despite this, the pensions of ex-soldiers are meager and many are therefore attracted by the promised salaries of the cartels.

Farmer given up: “Those damn Colombians”

In the small citrus-growing town of La Ruana in western Mexico, residents are fully aware that Colombian mercenaries are hired by the cartel and that they often contribute explosives, writes El País.

“Those damn Colombians,” says a farmer as he stands next to the town’s dusty main road.

“They are bloodthirsty, that’s why they are here.”

The farmer does not want to give his name because he does not want to end up “floating in a canal.” Another farmer, who also wishes to remain anonymous, says that the Colombian mercenaries are easy to recognize by their language and because they always carry weapons.

– They come out at night, they are always seen in groups, and they go out to kill and extort.

The new Mexican government is trying to curb the problem, but is not getting much help from Colombia, which is struggling with its own problems, sources tell the newspaper.