Petro says his government did not violate IHL in bombings that killed recruited minors

Bogotá. – The Colombian President, Gustavo Petro, assured this Wednesday that his Government, which began on August 7, 2022, has not violated international humanitarian law (IHL) in the bombings carried out in recent weeks, in which at least 12 minors recruited by illegal armed groups died.

“We don’t want to be compared or assigned as if we had violated international humanitarian law, which none of us here have done,” Petro expressed in an address in which he was accompanied by the Minister of Defense, Pedro Sánchez Suárez, and the commander of the Military Forces, Admiral Francisco Cubides.

The president also said that of 1,404 combats between the Military and Police Forces against armed groups during his government, there were only 13 bombings because this type of attack involves “the use of greater power” and “care must be taken” so as not to affect the civilian population.

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