Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro reported that eight underage rebel recruits were killed last week as a result of the Colombian government’s recent military offensive against a well-known armed group.
The news comes as Colombia’s armed groups have recently increased their recruitment of children, sparking a debate over whether forced recruits can be protected on the front lines.
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President Petro confirmed that seven adolescents were killed on November 10 during a government bombing campaign in the southern Guaviare department in a Monday post on the social media platform X.
In a government offensive in the eastern region of Arauca, a second minor was killed three days later, on November 13.
At least 12 teenage fatalities were reported in under two months as a result of those deaths.
Petro, a former rebel, wrote in his post that “everyone of them was the victims of forced recruitment by criminals who have dragged them into hostilities and deprived them of protection.”
However, Colombia’s growing armed actors have increasingly sought to exploit minors, and the issue of how to protect young recruits is contentious.
a rise in child recruitment
Colombia has been at odds with right-wing paramilitaries, left-wing rebels, and criminal organizations for more than 60 years due to an armed conflict.
According to official government statistics, those organizations have attempted to rise in ranks by appealing to children under the age of 18 and, in some cases, coercing them into employment.
Between 2021 and 2024, the government estimates a 1, 000 percent increase in the number of new recruits.
In a UN report from June, the same uptick was found. According to its findings, 474 cases of armed groups recruiting or using minors were recorded between 2022 and 2024.
The office received reports of 118 more child recruits in the first quarter of 2025.
According to the report, some of the victims had as young as nine years old. Many of the indigenous communities in Colombia.
The most recent casualties come as Petro’s government intensifies its crackdown on the dissident group EMC, which split from the now-demobilized Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC).
The EMC is renowned for drawing on children to bolster its ranks, according to Elizabeth Dickinson, the think tank’s deputy director for Latin America.
She told Al Jazeera, “The EMC, particularly, is probably the organization that has historically been most resolute or guilty of recruiting minors.”
She explained that the organization deploys children around the perimeter of its commanders’ positions as “human shields.”
Petro is facing criticism.
Colombia has received criticism for how the government deals with military operations that could harm young recruits.
In 2026, Petro’s left-wing government is up for reelection, and the country is set for a crucial presidential election.
The opposition has already seized on the potential violation of international humanitarian law by killing young recruits.
Pedro Sanchez, the defense minister, has been given a motion of condemnation from the congress.
Some organizations have urged Sanchez to step down immediately, including Representative Katherine Miranda.
Miranda also issued an appeal to Petro on social media this week, “Face the country and stand up for the state crime you are committing against children who have been forced into recruitment”
According to Dickinson of the International Crisis Group, Petro’s most recent post might suggest that young recruits are not subject to international law protection.
Dickinson responded, “That is not correct.” These are conflict victims, they say. They are young people. They were compelled to work with them.
For instance, the Geneva Convention mandates that states parties “take all reasonable steps” to prevent child recruits under the age of 15 from joining.
Children are merely a reality in today’s conflict, Dickinson said. The government must take that into account if they carry out bombardments, he says.
‘Brutally naive ‘ is what.
It’s difficult to blame child recruits for the deaths of their children, according to Hilda Molano, a COALICO coordinator.
Despite the complex circumstances, she urged all parties to consider children’s rights.
In situations like these, Molano stated to Al Jazeera, “It is obvious that no one person is to blame; in the end, it is a shared responsibility.”
Molano demanded that Colombia’s government improve its presence in conflict areas and do more to deter child recruitment.
She claimed that children in conflict zones “are at risk of being recruited by armed groups and killed by state security forces.”
Meanwhile, the Petro government has maintained that its actions are compliant with international laws governing child protection.
Al Jazeera reached out to the Ministry of Defense for comment, but it was unable to provide a response at the time of publication.
The president claimed that his efforts had already resulted in the release of 2,411 minors, according to the president’s claim on social media.
He remarked that “peace is the best way to stop children from fighting in war.”
He also confirmed that his country’s plans to continue its fight against the EMC, which has been the site of a number of car bombings and drone attacks this year targeting military and police installations.
Source: Aljazeera
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