On the International Day against the Forced Recruitment of Children and Adolescents, Colombian National Army makes visible the results of the sustained actions it is carrying out in the department of Guaviare to protect children and close the transit to illegal armed structures that attack their rights.
Within the framework of the Ayacucho Plus Campaign Plan, the units of the Twenty-Second Rainforest Brigade, strategically stationed in the department of Guaviare, continue to carry out military operations and preventive actions aimed at countering the forced recruitment of children and adolescents by organized armed groups that commit crimes in the region.
As a result of this effort of the military operation and the permanent activity of the troops in areas of high vulnerability, from January 2025 to date, 19 minors who had been illegally linked to these criminal structures have been recovered. Immediately, each of them was put into custody of the Colombian Family Wellbeing Institute, ICBF, which is working to activate the processes of restoring rights and providing the comprehensive support necessary for their protection and recovery.
Colombian National Army categorically rejects and denounces these criminal activities, which constitute a serious violation of human rights and international humanitarian law, and directly damage the integrity, dignity and life project of Colombian children.
The Twenty-Second Rainforest Brigade reaffirms its commitment to the security, stabilization and development of Guaviare, convinced that protecting children is to protect the present and future of the country, and a fundamental action for the construction of territories in peace.
Source: Press – National Army
