Bogotá court restricts offensive air operations against armed groups
A Bogotá family court has ordered the Colombian government and military structures to refrain from offensive air operations against targets for which there is reliable, objective, or reasonably verifiable information about the presence of children or adolescents recruited or used by armed groups. This was reported by Colombia Reports.
Preliminary court ruling
The court issued a preliminary ruling in a case brought by a private individual. The claimant argued that the state had failed to fulfill its duty to protect children during airstrikes on illegal armed groups.
The restriction will remain in effect until the case is considered on its merits. Before conducting an operation, the authorities must take and verify the necessary precautionary and protective measures, as well as establish that there is no less harmful alternative for achieving a lawful military objective. This must be determined taking into account the available information and applicable operational protocols.
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Deaths of minors
According to Radio Caracol, since airstrikes were resumed under President Iván Duque in 2018, at least 107 minors have been killed as a result of such operations.
The court's preliminary ruling came the day after President Abelardo de la Espriella announced the deaths of 23 “narco-terrorists” in an airstrike that he called the deadliest since the peace process began in 2016. The president promised to resume bombing campaigns that had been almost halted under his predecessor Gustavo Petro, while he held negotiations on peace and demobilization with several illegal armed groups.
After at least three children were killed in an airstrike in August, Defense Minister Jorge Eduardo Mora placed responsibility on guerrilla organizations. According to him, they recruit children as human shields and combatants.
