A Bogotá family court has ended a legal freeze on Colombian military airstrikes that had been in place after a string of bombings killed children recruited by armed groups. The 34th Family Court ruled that the government’s air force can resume targeting armed factions even when intelligence indicates minors may be present, though it must now meet a tougher precautionary bar before pulling the trigger.
The case began after attorney Ower Jimmy Borda Parra filed a legal action following an August 27 strike on a dissident faction of the former FARC guerrilla, led by an alias known as “Calarcá,” in the Guaviare region. That attack, part of “Operation Amón,” killed three teenagers. It came amid a wave of controversial bombings early in President Abelardo de la Espriella’s term, which began August 7: a Catatumbo strike on ELN rebels killed a 16-year-old on August 10, and a third raid on August 30 recovered two people who said they were minors, though their ages remain unconfirmed.
While reviewing the case, the court had temporarily barred strikes in areas with credible reports of child recruits, a move the government and military called dangerous, warning it could encourage armed groups to use children as human shields.
In its final ruling, the court declined to impose an outright ban, saying international humanitarian law requires assessing each minor’s actual role in hostilities rather than granting blanket immunity. Instead, it ordered the military to better verify intelligence, weigh risks to children’s lives more carefully, and consider operational alternatives before striking.
For the full story, read the original report at eltiempo.com.
Source: Juez levanta suspensión de bombardeos y aclara los criterios para operaciones aéreas cuando haya menores reclutados (eltiempo.com). English version produced with AI assistance.
Image: asboluv, BY 2.0 (via Openverse).