A Colombian military bombing raid on the Estado Mayor Central (EMC) armed group, carried out in Calamar, Guaviare, on 10 November, left seven minors among 20 people killed in total. The youngsters – four girls and three boys aged between 13 and 17 – are believed to have been forcibly recruited by the EMC.
The bombing has been condemned by human rights organisations, particularly as the military knew about the likely presence of minors in the camps. Using air power to bombard guerrilla camps has historically created many victims among the civilian population in conflict areas and has therefore been opposed by human rights defenders for many years. Human rights organisations have called for the government to suspend bombardments and to engage with communities in conflict zones to discuss a new approach to security.
According to Colombian press, the attack targeted the leaders of EMC groups that are allegedly behind several recent attacks and killings in the provinces of Guaviare and Caquetá, including the murders of eight religious leaders in April and an attack on the mayor of Calamar’s office in October. Reports indicate that the commanders were unharmed in the bombing.
Members of the Historic Pact coalition government have spoken out against the bombing. Senator Iván Cepeda, the coalition’s presidential candidate, said ‘I cannot fail to condemn the bombing in Guaviare in which seven minors died. As I have done in the past, I reiterate my position that actions of this nature are clearly prohibited by humanitarian law.’
Meanwhile, a motion of censure against Defence Minister Pedro Sánchez has been formally submitted in the Congress. Military representatives have argued that the camps represent a legitimate military target, and that responsibility for the deaths lies with the armed group. President Gustavo Petro tweeted ‘the loss of the minors is painful and I will carry that sorrow in my conscience, and I know that I will never be able to overcome the pain of their mothers to whom I ask for forgiveness.’
The forcible recruitment of children and adolescents by armed groups is a violation of international humanitarian law that affects many communities in conflict areas. Between January 2024 and October 2025, 787 minors were victims of the practice, according to the Office of the National Ombudsman, the state body that monitors human rights in the country. However, figures could be higher as some communities fear reprisals if they report cases. Close to half of victims are indigenous or African-Colombian, a vastly disproportionate figure given those groups’ much smaller representation in the overall population. Some estimates hold the EMC responsible for 40 per cent of child forced recruitment, higher than any other armed group. The presence of minors in the camps of armed groups is therefore very common.
In late 2019, the hard-right government of Iván Duque came under intense criticism after it attempted to cover up the bombing of an armed group camp that August which left eight children dead among the victims. Duque’s defence minister, Guillermo Botero, was forced to resign over the cover up. In contrast, the Petro government has been transparent about the recent incident, with Petro confirming that he gave orders for the raid to go ahead as the armed group was preparing to ambush a military unit nearby.
The grassroots Social Movement for Peace, founded recently to promote peacebuilding and human rights, condemned the deaths of the seven teenagers. ‘This type of military operation in Colombia has already resulted in a high death toll among girls and boys, a number we cannot continue to increase,’ it said. It has called on the government to suspend bombing operations until the human rights of those targeted could be guaranteed, and to engage with communities in the conflict regions to discuss new solutions to the complex security issues the country faces, while also calling on armed groups to stop forcible recruitment of children and abide by international humanitarian law.
The tragic loss of life reaffirms the importance of establishing alternatives to tried-and-failed military approaches to addressing the complex causes of Colombia’s social conflict. This was why the Petro government tried a new ‘Total Peace’ strategy to end violent conflict through dialogue and engagement with armed groups, for which his government has come under heavy criticism. Opponents of ‘Total Peace’ argue that the policy has been a failure, but as the recent bombing shows, the existing military solutions offer little but more bloodshed. The victims are overwhelmingly from the poorest and most marginalised sectors of Colombian society. Human rights organisations continue to insist that dialogue with the participation of local communities remains the surest path to bringing peace to people who for too long have suffered the brutal effects of armed conflict.