Colombian military airstrike results in deaths of three minors among others

Three minors were killed in a Colombian military air strike targeting cocaine-trafficking rebels on August 27, according to authorities. This operation, which took place in the southern Guaviare department, marks the deadliest military action since President Abelardo de la Espriella took office earlier in August. The National Institute of Legal Medicine and Forensic Sciences reported a total of 10 fatalities from the airstrike, with the Ministry of National Defence confirming that two victims were 15 years old and one was 16. The minors were reportedly affiliated with a dissident faction of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) that rejected a peace agreement established in 2016. President de la Espriella, aligned with U.S. President Donald Trump, announced another bombing in the same region that resulted in the deaths of eight members of a FARC dissident group led by commander Ivan Mordisco, although it is unclear if any minors were included among those casualties. The Defence Ministry indicated that 24 suspected rebels have been killed in military operations since de la Espriella assumed office. Concurrently, a report from Human Rights Watch (HRW) highlighted a resurgence in child recruitment by armed groups in Colombia, noting that at least 1,500 children have been recruited since 2021, with 625 cases reported in 2024 alone. The report stated that armed and criminal groups are increasingly utilizing social media to recruit children for dangerous tasks, such as operating drones with explosives. HRW's Americas director, Juanita Goebertus, emphasized the failure of protection systems and the effectiveness of social media platforms in facilitating recruitment. In response, Meta and TikTok stated that they prohibit content that promotes violence and have removed accounts flagged by HRW.