Colombia to stop airstrikes against armed groups Colombia to end airstrikes against armed groups

by time news

Bagota: Colombia’s new left-wing government says it is suspending airstrikes targeting armed groups. The action is to save civilians and children who are forcibly recruited into the organizations. Defense Minister Ivan Velázquez told reporters that the move shows the government’s willingness to negotiate with armed groups.

The bombing of rebel camps in Colombia is a controversial issue. More than 4.50 lakh people were killed in the six-decade-long civil conflict. In 2019, then-Defense Minister Guillermo Botero resigned after eight children between the ages of 12 and 17 were killed in a military offensive against rebels by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia. Two years later, four children were also reportedly killed in a bombing targeting the leader of the National Liberation Army.

President Gustavo Petro, a former rebel fighter who was elected president in June, has expressed his willingness to negotiate with the rebels to end the conflict. Insurgent groups have long recruited children to increase their strength in areas where they do not have a presence. In 2016, the government signed a peace agreement with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia. But rebel members of the group, which rejected the deal, refused to lay down their arms.

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