Two Colombian generals and 25 military personnel admit responsibility for over 200 murders

Two retired Colombian Army generals and 25 other military personnel have publicly acknowledged their responsibility for 209 killings and 65 forced disappearances. These individuals are facing charges from the Special Jurisdiction for Peace (JEP) for war crimes and crimes against humanity. The incidents occurred between 2002 and 2007 in the Meta department and were falsely reported as combat casualties.

The JEP, a tribunal created under the peace agreement between the Colombian government and the FARC guerrilla group, highlighted the significance of this admission. "For the first time in the country's history, two retired brigadier generals of the National Army have publicly recognized the existence of superior orders aimed at meeting casualty quotas," the JEP stated.

The investigation documented 209 murders, including those of ten minors, which were misrepresented as combat deaths – a practice known in Colombia as "falsos positivos." Additionally, 65 forced disappearances and one attempted homicide were recorded in Meta during the specified period. The two retired brigadier generals are Carlos Ovidio Saavedra Sáenz and Francisco José Ardila Uribe, former commanders of the Army's Seventh Brigade.

Saavedra admitted to pressuring commanders to increase reported casualties and acknowledged using language that suggested collaborating with paramilitary groups to achieve operational results. Ardila, for his part, recognized his failure in command and control duties while leading the Seventh Brigade, attributing the commission of these crimes partly to the system of institutional incentives. "The people who were murdered were not combatants. They were civilians, with life projects, families, dreams, and aspirations, whom we stigmatized as criminals," Ardila stated during a hearing.