The teenagers, aged 15 and 16, are believed to be from the department of Cauca and had apparently been forcibly recruited into this illegal armed group for more than five months.
Through social media,
two minors from the department of Cauca were reportedly recruited by members of the Ismael Ruiz Front residual organized armed group (GAO-r), an illegal group led by alias Iván Mordisco.
The teenagers were rescued by troops from the 17th General Domingo Caicedo Infantry Battalion, a military unit under the Sixth Brigade of the National Army, in a rural area of the municipality of Ataco, Tolima, while they were moving through the sector. During the operation, the soldiers found a Motorola communications radio in the minors’ possession.
According to military intelligence, the teenagers were allegedly lured into joining this illegal armed group through false financial promises. They were subsequently transported from the department of Huila to Tolima to participate in criminal activities in the southern part of the department.
It was also revealed that the minors had received basic training in the use of firearms and the execution of terrorist acts.Once recovered, the minors were handed over to the competent authorities, and the necessary coordination was carried out with the Ombudsman’s Office to ensure their protection and the restoration of their rights.
The Sixth Brigade of the National Army condemns the recruitment of minors and their use by illegal organized armed groups. Similarly, we urge children and adolescents not to fall for false promises spread through social media, which seek to exploit them and link them to criminal structures that endanger their lives, safety, and future, in addition to seriously affecting their families and communities.
The National Army invites the public to report any cases related to forced recruitment or the use of minors through the National Army’s free anti-terrorism hotline 107 and the ICBF’s (Colombian Institute for Family Welfare) hotline 141.Source:
Fifth Division Press.
