BOGOTÁ – President gustavo Petro confirmed teh deaths of at least a dozen minors during military bombings in 2023 and 2024, sparking a heated exchange with Human Rights Defender Iris Marín over the continuation of such operations. Petro directly accused Iván Mordisco, a leader of the Estado Mayor Central (EMC) dissident group, of violating the Rome Statute and vowed to denounce him as a war criminal for allegedly forcing minors into armed conflict.
The controversy centers on recent military actions in guaviare, Arauca, and cauca, where 34 individuals were reportedly “neutralized” and over 35 rifles recovered. Petro defended the bombings as a necessary response to offensive actions by armed drug trafficking groups, asserting that all military operations adhere to International Humanitarian Law (IHL). However, Marín implored Petro and Defense Minister Pedro Sánchez to suspend the bombings, specifically targeting areas where minors may be present, citing additional deaths of children in public force bombings.
“All of them victims of forced recruitment by criminals that have led them to hostilities and taken away their protection therein,” Petro stated.He further reported the death of a girl injured by EMC columns on the pan-American highway in Cauca and the finding of a brother of “Chiquito Malo” of the Clan del Golfo, killed in Urabá.
Marín countered by demanding the unconditional release of all recruited minors, revealing that other children have been killed in military bombings. Petro responded that offensive actions by armed groups would not result in a suspension of bombings, emphasizing, ”military action is not the best, but if certain groups do not want to make peace, we will act.”