Three minors were among 10 people killed in a Colombian military air strike targeting a cocaine-trafficking armed group in the southern department of Guaviare, authorities said.
The strike took place on August 27 and was the deadliest military operation since President Abelardo de la Espriella took office earlier this month. Colombia’s Defence Ministry said two of the children killed were 15 years old, while the third was 16.
The victims were allegedly members of a dissident faction of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) that rejected the 2016 peace agreement between the government and the former rebel organisation.
President de la Espriella, a right-wing leader and ally of US President Donald Trump, said another military operation in the same area had killed eight members of a FARC dissident group led by commander Ivan Mordisco. It remains unclear whether any minors were among those killed.
The president accused armed groups of recruiting children as combatants and human shields, saying those responsible should face consequences for violations of international humanitarian law.
The Defence Ministry said 24 suspected rebels have been killed in military operations since de la Espriella assumed office.
The military strikes come amid growing concerns over the recruitment of children by armed groups in Colombia. Human Rights Watch (HRW) said in a recent report that at least 1,500 children had been recruited by armed groups since 2021, including 625 cases recorded in 2024.
According to HRW, criminal and rebel groups are increasingly using social media to recruit children for dangerous activities, including operating drones equipped with explosives.
The rights organisation also said algorithms on platforms such as Meta and TikTok appeared to have promoted content encouraging children to join armed groups.
“Armed groups in Colombia are recruiting children with impunity,” HRW Americas Director Juanita Goebertus said, warning that child-protection systems were failing and that social media platforms had become increasingly effective tools for recruitment.
Meta and TikTok told HRW that their policies prohibit content promoting violence and that they had removed accounts flagged by the organisation.
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