The Farc recruited girls and boys for the war: the JEP accused of war crimes former intermediate guerrilla commanders

Two Columns of Extinction Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia – People’s Army (Farc-EP) in northern Cauca and southern Valle del Cauca were charged by the Special Jurisdiction for Peace for 14 war crimes and crimes against humanity. Among them, for the first time, they are accused of recruiting boys and girls as part of a politico-military strategy used by the guerrillas.

The imputation took place in case 05, which favors the territorial situation in the north of the Cauca and south of Cauca Valleyin which the first aired Order of determination of facts and conduct against 10 of the mobile column commanders Jacobo Arenas and Gabriel Galvis, who were part of the former Farc western bloc.

In the investigation, five crimes against humanity were determined, among which stands out the persecution “in a systematic and widespread way of indigenous peoples, Afro-Colombians and peasant communities” in 17 municipalities of the priority areas. Likewise, seven war crimes were determined, among which for the first time the use, enlistment or recruitment of boys and girls; as well as the destruction of the environment.

The order argues that the recruitment was a politico-military strategy of the armed organization, which has arisen since the late 1990s and experienced a rebound in 2011. northern Cauca and the on del Valle They were one of the regions with the highest number of cases, due to the permanent presence of the guerrillas in this area. The JEP has identified different mechanisms used by armed rebels to attract young people into their ranks.

The JEP has records of 321 boys and girls recruited in priority municipalities, of which 280 appeared in Cauca and 41 in Valle; among these victims, 214 were boys (66%) and 101 girls 31 (%). “Regarding ages, it has been established that at least 81 have been under 15 years old. Likewise, it has been established that at least 158 ​​were indigenous,” the car reads.

Most of the minors recruited were native oh Afro-descendants, as testified by those appearing at the inquest. This situation affected the culture, as the victims were exposed to the loss of customs, as well as family and community structures.

The appearers acknowledged the entry of minors from the age of 12 into the ranks, despite the fact that there was supposedly a policy not to admit minors under the age of 15, an instruction which, according to the documentation of the Conduct determination room it is clear that it has not been fulfilled.

In a document containing the truth of those appearing in the mobile column of Jacobo Arenas, “it is indicated that since 1998, new admissions to the CM jacob arenas have been authorized by the FARC-EP SecretariatThey explained that the strategy used to try to meet annual recruiting or enlistment goals was to have a guerrilla fighter assigned to travel to the area to explain what he was and why he was fighting.

Similarly, the JEP has identified cases of minors recruited and then shot. For example, before the JEP, the parties admitted to the murder of an indigenous Nasa girl from Booking San Juan Paez, who was admitted at the age of 14 and was executed after being accused of being an informant. The same thing happened with some who tried to desert.

Those accused of planning, ordering, facilitating and committing these serious crimes are: Diego Ardila Merchán, José Gregorio Lasso Céspedes, Efrén Núñez Pulido, Remigio Valero Ríos and Gloria Ramírez Basto, who were part of the command of the mobile column Gabriel Galvis; as well as Reinel Natalio García Mujica, Braulio Vásquez Fonseca, James Castro Jaramillo, Heriberto Reina Suaza and José Antonio Muñoz, who were part of the command of the mobile column Jacobo Arenas.

They would be middle managers of a guerrilla bloc formed to create a strategic corridor in the country’s South Pacific. However, the territorial determination of the facts could lead to establishing patterns of conduct at the national level.