The silence and uncertainty of parents who waited for news of their daughter for three years ended in tears of happiness and hugs full of hope.
Thanks to intelligence work and the timely action of troops of the Light Infantry Battalion No. 26 Cacique Pigoanza, unit a of the Ninth Brigade of Colombian National Army, a minor got out of the control of a residual organized armed structure, and today she is again under the protection of the State and in contact with her family.
The minor, who had been forcibly recruited when she was just 13 years old, escaped by her own means of the illegal armed group in the rural area of the department of Huila. In the midst of fear and uncertainty, she set out on a hamlet in search of shelter and help until she reached a municipality in the center of the department, where her situation was known by soldiers of Colombian National Army.
National Army troops immediately moved to the place, providing her with protection and safely transferring her to the municipality of Garzón, Huila department. There she contacted her family, who had reported her kidnapped two years ago and never lost hope of seeing her again.
While the process of family reunification was proceeding, the minor received medical assistance and comprehensive accompaniment, then she was put into custody of the Colombian Institute of Family Wellbeing ICBF, the authority for the restoration of her rights, that works for her protection, wellbeing and specialized care.
According to available information, the minor was allegedly forced to join the illegal armed group known as Rodrigo Cadete, belonging to the Jorge Suárez Briceño Bloc, where she was within a finance group, under the orders of alias Morroco. Her story reflects a painful reality: that of children and adolescents, victims of forced recruitment, deprived of their childhood, their dreams and their freedom.
In the case of children and adolescents, the objective is the full restoration of their rights, and in the case of adults, to facilitate the processes of surrender and reintegration into civilian life, in accordance with the benefits established by the State.
Every child who returns home represents a victory of life over violence. Colombian National Army reaffirms its commitment to the defense of children and the construction of a safer, more humane and peaceful Huila.
Source: Press - Ninth Brigade
