Three minors were among those killed in a Colombian military airstrike against a cocaine-trafficking rebel group on August 27, according to officials. This marks the deadliest military operation since President Abelardo de la Espriella took office earlier this month, vowing to step up operations against armed groups.
The National Institute of Forensic Medicine and Criminal Sciences said a total of 10 people died in the strike in Guaviare province, southern Colombia. The Defense Ministry confirmed that two of the victims were 15 years old and one was 16.
The victims were believed to belong to a dissident faction of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) that rejected the 2016 peace deal with the government.
Speaking on Monday, President de la Espriella—a right-wing politician and ally of U.S. President Donald Trump—said another airstrike in the same area had killed 8 members of the FARC faction led by commander Ivan Mordisco. It remains unclear if any minors were among the dead.
“Criminals, who for decades have recruited children to turn them into fighters or human shields, must pay for these crimes that violate International Humanitarian Law,” he wrote on social media platform X.
Colombia's Defense Ministry said on Monday that 24 suspected rebels had been killed in military operations since President de la Espriella took office.
The airstrikes come amid a report released last week by Human Rights Watch (HRW), showing that recruitment of children into armed groups in Colombia is on the rise again.
According to the report, at least 1,500 children have been recruited by armed groups since 2021, with 625 cases recorded in 2024 alone. Criminal and rebel groups are using social media to recruit children, assigning them increasingly dangerous tasks such as operating explosive-laden drones.
HRW also said that algorithms on platforms like Meta and TikTok “appeared to have actively promoted” content encouraging children to join rebel groups. “Armed groups in Colombia are recruiting children with impunity,” said Juanita Goebertus, HRW's Americas director. “The protection system is failing, and social media platforms have become more effective recruiting grounds.”
Representatives for Meta and TikTok said they ban content that promotes violence and have removed accounts flagged by HRW.
