The Ombudsman’s Office has raised alarms regarding the worrying increase in cases of recruitment of girls, boys and adolescents by the dissidents of the Central General Staff in the department of Cauca.
According to figures reported between January and August of this year, at least 190 cases have been recorded in this region, with the town of El Plateado, in the municipality of Argelia, as one of the most affected outbreaks.
The Ombudsman, Iris Marín Ortiz, expressed her concern about the situation, indicating that these numbers may be even more serious than what has been officially documented. “An underreporting of more than 30% is estimated, due to the fear of families and communities to report these crimes, which means that the real number of minors involved could be significantly higher,” said Marín Ortiz.
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The drama of recruited indigenous children
Among the reported cases, the Ombudsman’s Office has identified that several of the minors recruited in the northern Cauca region are mainly indigenous of the Nasa people. According to the Ombudsman, these children are not only forced to participate in combat activities, but are also assigned intelligence tasks, such as monitoring troop movements from wherever they are located, collecting extortion or even attracting other minors to join the ranks of armed groups.
Travel in Algeria
Added to the problem of child recruitment is the increase in violence in the region. This weekend, in events that occurred in the town of El Plateado, the displacement of at least 1,200 people and 17 injured was reported after the use of drones for war purposes by armed groups in the area. These attacks, which are part of the escalation of confrontations, are generating a growing humanitarian crisis in Cauca.
The Territorial Committee for Transitional Justice of Algeria has warned that the situation in the region remains critical and that the civilian population, especially indigenous and peasant communities, is trapped in the middle of this armed conflict, without sufficient protection or state response.
Urgent call for respect for International Humanitarian Law
Given these events, the Ombudsman made an urgent call to illegal armed groups to respect the civilian population and comply with the norms of International Humanitarian Law (IHL).
In addition, the official emphasized the need for structural intervention in the department of Cauca. “It is necessary to carry out a structural intervention in Cauca with a comprehensive presence of the State: that justice arrive, accelerate the substitution programs for crops for illicit use and provide social offer and security for its inhabitants.”
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