Colombia's President, Abelardo De La Espriella, published a video on social media showing rows of white body bags, stating that they contained the bodies of 23 guerrillas "neutralized" during a military operation in the Colombian Amazon. The video sparked outrage and reignited debates about the government's methods in combating illegal armed groups.
De La Espriella took power last month with the promise of "total war" against illegal armed groups. The far-right politician celebrated the operation, writing over the video that he was fulfilling his promise to confront terrorism without hesitation, declaring that he did not come to be "nice" to murderers, extortionists, and child groomers.
During the operation in the Amazon rainforest, the president stated that the government is "absolutely determined to destroy" the armed groups, comparing them to a "cancer". The images of bodies in body bags generated controversy, with critics questioning both the necessity of publishing such content and the veracity of the claims about the identity of the dead.
