Seven teenagers aged 13 to 17 died in an Army bombing of an EMC camp from Farc dissidents in rural Guaviare. The strike, ordered by President Gustavo Petro, has reignited debate on child recruitment and bombing policies. Five victims have been identified, as families claim the bodies.
The bombing targeted a camp of the Estado Mayor Central (EMC) of Farc dissidents, under the command of alias ‘Iván Mordisco’, in rural Guaviare. According to a preliminary report from the Military Forces, seven minors died in the attack. Medicina Legal confirmed the victims' ages, all between 13 and 17, and families have begun procedures to claim the bodies.
Identified victims include Caren Smith Cubillos Miraña, 13, born in Puerto Santander (Norte de Santander) but raised in La Pedrera (Amazonas); Dani Santiago Leyton Cuéllar, 15, from Fortul (Arauca); Deini Lorena Beltrán Mendoza, 16, from Tibú (Norte de Santander); Maicol Andrés Pérez Ávila, 16, from Miraflores (Guaviare); and Martha Elena Abarca Vilches, 17, from Puerto Leguízamo (Putumayo). The identities of the two remaining minors are under forensic verification. Investigators note several were recruited months earlier in high-armed-pressure areas.
Additionally, nine adults were killed: Francy Nonokudo Gómez (18, Solano, Caquetá); Harold Stiven Villamil Villarraga (20, Bogotá); Jhon Fredy Acosta Morales (19, El Retorno, Guaviare); Edier Fabián Montaño Valencia (20, Policarpa, Nariño); Elizabeth Cuéllar Rodríguez (20, Armenia, Quindío); Faber Illeras Gamboa (19, El Charco, Nariño); Yan Carlos Martínez Rivera (22, Puerto Leguízamo, Putumayo); José Edilberto Pito Casso (31, Silvia, Cauca, raised in Bogotá); and Exenover Barbosa Pescador (32, Mapiripán, Meta). Four men and one woman remain unidentified and unclaimed.
President Gustavo Petro and Defense Minister Pedro Sánchez defended the operation as a response to an imminent threat from over 150 EMC combatants, aimed at preventing an ambush on nearby troops. Petro stated: “I took, at risk, the decision to save their lives [the soldiers] (…) This time we protected soldiers; I will always seek to minimize their deaths, but the fight is for a free Colombia for all. Every negotiation with armed groups and bands is preceded by a first agreement: remove children from the conflict. Thus we comply with IHL”. He lamented the minors' deaths and noted operational risks in territory recovery.
This is one of the most lethal bombings under the current government, which has authorized 13 in two years, despite campaign promises against strikes with child presence. Social organizations criticize the policy for risks to recruits, while military command argues dissidents use minors as shields. Families, many in remote rural areas, face difficulties and fears of reprisals, supported by the Fundación Benéfica y Jurídica para la Paz. The case highlights forced child recruitment in the armed conflict.