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🇵🇾 Paraguay /Conflict & Security

Colombian court orders government to avoid bombing areas if minors may be present

From ABC Color · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

Newswire Named sources Approved/passed
  • A court in Colombia's Guaviare department ordered the president and armed forces not to bomb targets if intelligence indicates minors may be present.
  • The ruling requires defense authorities to report within 48 hours on measures to identify children, assess civilian risks and strengthen protections during air operations.
  • The decision follows the deaths of three teenagers in a late-August bombing and another minor's death in an August operation in Catatumbo.

A new Colombian court order has told the government and military to halt airstrikes on armed-group targets in Guaviare when there is information that minors may be present. The order comes after three teenagers died in a military bombing in the department.

The ruling from the third criminal circuit court in San José del Guaviare responded to a legal action filed to protect children and adolescents who have been forcibly recruited. It orders the Defense Ministry, Army, Air Force and Colombian Family Welfare Institute to report within 48 hours on the measures and protocols they use, or will strengthen, to identify children in areas targeted for military operations.

The authorities must also verify intelligence about possible recruitment or use of minors, assess risks to civilians before air operations and apply stronger, child-specific protections when planning and carrying out such missions.

verify intelligence related to their possible recruitment or use; assess the risks to the civilian population before carrying out air operations, and guarantee a differentiated approach and strengthened protection for children in the planning and execution of those operations.

· San José del Guaviare criminal circuit courtThe court listed the safeguards authorities must apply before and during military air operations.

The Guaviare order follows a precautionary measure issued by a Bogotá court the previous Thursday. That decision instructed President Abelardo de la Espriella and the armed forces to refrain from bombing sites where there is evidence that minors recruited by armed groups are present.

The legal actions followed an Aug. 27 bombing in a rural area of El Retorno. Colombia's Legal Medicine Institute confirmed that three of the 10 bodies recovered after the operation were minors, two aged 15 and one aged 16. The government defended the operation as lawful and said the teenagers belonged to the armed group, making them legitimate targets.

The controversy also includes the death of another minor in an Aug. 10 bombing in the Catatumbo region. Colombia's Ombudsman's Office recorded 1,173 cases of child and adolescent recruitment between 2024 and July 31, 2026, as military operations ordered by the government increased.

legitimate target

· Colombian governmentThe government used this description for the minors who it said belonged to the armed group.
About this summary

Originally published by ABC Color in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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