A Colombian judge determined on Thursday that the government of President Abelardo de la Espriella suspend military bombings against guerrilla camps when there is information about the presence of recruited minors. The judicial decision applies to the Amazonian department of Guaviare, in the south of the country, where the new president recently ordered two airstrikes that killed at least 33 dissidents from the extinct guerrilla group Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia.
De la Espriella, who took office on August 7 and has the support of American President Donald Trump, implements a hard-line policy against drug trafficking cartels, using lethal bombings and mass extradition orders to the United States. The Colombian government recently carried out an attack that killed 20 guerrillas, considered the deadliest in recent years in the country.
The judge's order seeks to protect minors who may be present in conflict areas, imposing limits on the government's military strategy against armed groups. The right-wing president, who has been governing the country for a few months, has been using bombings as the main tool in confronting guerrilla groups and drug trafficking, causing significant casualties among FARC dissidents.
