Maicol, 16 years old, died in a bombing in Guaviare. He was one of 15 minor victims recruited with false promises.
Maicol Andrés Pérez Ávila, a 16-year-old teenager, died in a military bombing against dissidents in Guaviare, where the recruitment of minors has been strengthened.
The National Institute of Legal Medicine confirmed in its latest report that 15 minors died between August and November in bombings carried out by the Military Forces in Guaviare, Amazonas and Arauca.
Among them was Maicol Andrés Pérez Ávila, a 16-year-old teenager born in the municipality of El Retorno, Guaviare, who lost his life during the military operation against dissidents under the command of alias ‘Iván Mordisco’.
Maicol Andrés was the only minor from Guaviare among the victims identified in this bombing, in which 20 members of the dissidents died. Legal Medicine reported that seven of the deceased were teenagers and the Ombudsman’s Office warned of the need to strengthen protection for boys, girls and young people. to prevent them from continuing to be used in the armed conflict.
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The death of the young man has generated concern in the department. Local authorities point out that illegal recruitment continues to affect rural communities, where opportunities are limited and families live under constant pressure from armed groups.
The representative of Guaviare, Ofelia Quintero, regretted that teenagers from the department are being hooked by these structures. As he explained, many young people are persuaded with false promises that end up putting their lives at risk and distancing them from their families.
In municipalities such as Miraflores, several families have reported that some minors have recently left their homes to join the dissidents operating in the area.motivated by offers that present them as opportunities, but that directly expose them to armed confrontation.
Department authorities insist that many of these teenagers are not even recruited in Guaviare: They arrive from other departments, transferred with deception to the Llanos to integrate them into armed groups.
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Faced with this situation, Guaviare made an urgent call to the National Government to strengthen social investment, expand protection programs and accompany rural communities. The objective, they say, is to offer real alternatives to children and young people and prevent them from continuing to be trapped in a war that continues to claim their lives.
Source: Integrated Information System
