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Bloomberg
3 days ago
- Politics
- Bloomberg
Latin America's Security Crisis Is the Right's Stuff
Almost two weeks after an assassination attempt, Colombian senator Miguel Uribe Turbay remains in critical condition in a Bogota hospital. The attack against a charismatic 39-year-old presidential hopeful shocked Colombia, with thousands taking to the streets in solidarity, demanding peace and an end to the country's wave of violence. The cruel episode rekindled memories of the tragic Pablo Escobar years, when drug cartels and guerrillas ruled over life and death in Colombia in the 1980s and early 1990s. There are resemblances: The damaging combo of billion-dollar illegal businesses, ever-growing drug demand, brutal fights for markets and territory and ineffectual government security policies is destabilizing the Andean nation. Yet the feeling of insecurity isn't unique to Colombians: From Mexico to Ecuador and Peru, most of Latin America is going through a dark period where personal safety is uncertain and crime and corruption dominate public discussion. Worse, this is increasingly spilling into vicious political violence, as we saw with Uribe and the equally callous assassination of Ecuadorian presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio in 2023.
BBC News
13-06-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Thousands of children recruited by armed groups in Colombia
When Colombian senator and presidential hopeful Miguel Uribe Turbay was shot in the head on 7 June, it shocked the international community. After years of growing peace, the attack was a callback to Colombia's most violent years, when cartel-ordered assassinations were a common the identity of the alleged shooter proved even more shocking - a 15-year-old child. A video, shared widely online, shows police arresting a young man with a boyish face and hair over his shoulders, wearing blue jeans and a green has reported that after he was swiftly arrested, he cried out: "I did it for money for my family." He subsequently pleaded not guilty, the prosecutor's office said. Turbay has remained in critical condition at a clinic in Bogotá since last Saturday. Authorities are now searching for the people behind this crime, who allegedly used the boy to carry out the if it proves to be true, the boy's story is all too common. According to the Colombian Ombudsman's Office, 409 children and teenagers were recruited by armed groups in 2024, an increase from the 342 cases reported in acknowledge that the data is of armed conflict and organised crime have left thousands of children victims of violence in the years, many have been recruited by now-extinct drug organizations like the Medellin cartel led by Pablo Escobar and left-wing guerrillas, paramilitary forces and new armed and criminal groups."Minors were even used by public forces in undercover missions. Every single actor of the conflict has recruited minors," Max Yuri, director of the Institute of Political Studies at Antioquia University, told BBC Mundo. The child hitmen hired by Escobar In the 1980s, many youngsters and minors were picked up by Escobar to carry out hits."It was known as the practice of 'Los suizos'. Many youngsters and minors joined suicidal missions," Jorge Mantilla, a criminologist and security consultant and security coordinator for the Foundation for Conservation and Sustainable Development, told BBC of the most infamous was John Jairo Arias Tascón, known as 'Pinina,' considered to be one of the hitmen closest to is linked to several high-profile crimes, such as the assassination of the minister of justice Rodrigo Lara Bonilla in 1984; the attack on Avianca Flight 203, in which 110 people died in 1989; as well as several murders of politicians, journalists, civilians, and criminal died aged 29 in a shoot-out with police in 1990 in Medellin. It is believed he started as a hitman as young as 22 March 1990, another 14-year-old boy named Andrés Arturo Gutiérrez Maya shot and killed presidential candidate Bernardo Jaramillo Ossa at Bogotá's El Dorado there was Gerardo Gutierrez, "Yerry", another young man who ended up being the main suspect in the killing of presidential candidate Carlos Pizarro Leongomez in was initially blamed for the crime, but he denied any to the Historical Memory Center in Colombia, "Yerry" was shot dead by a bodyguard. Years later, the leader of the paramilitary group United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia, Carlos Castaño, admitted that he trained the hitman and planned the crime along with corrupted Colombian this day, the murder of Pizarro has not been fully solved. Minors as war weapon Recruited children usually share a common come from low-income urban areas or isolated rural territories where the Colombian state has a limited is a difference, however, between rural and urban minors in urban areas often seek to improve their economic and social status, many rural youths are forcibly recruited by armed groups, who also harass and threaten their families."It is a cheap labour force, easy to replace. Because of their malleability, they are often assigned acts of terror such as dismemberment," Mr Yuri said."It is common for them in cities to also be involved in the transportation of weapons, drugs, drug dealing, extortion collection, hitmen work, and murders," he Special Jurisdiction for Peace estimates that more than 18,000 children were recruited by Farc guerrilla between 1996 and 2016, when this left-wing group signed a peace deal with the continued clashes between Colombian forces and other guerrilla groups mean that the demand for child hitmen has not gone the recruitment methods have become more June 2024, the BBC reported how armed groups are using tools such as TikTok to reach youngsters in isolated areas in Colombia. Rising numbers A report by the Colombian newspaper El Tiempo states that 1,953 minors were reported missing in 2024, more than half of whom are still unaccounted information is based on data provided by the National Institute of Legal Medicine, and one of the theories behind the disappearances is that the children may have been forcibly who live in impoverished regions are especially vulnerable. Of the 409 minors the Ombudsman's Office identified as having been recruited, about 300 were detected in Cauca, a troubled part of Colombia where coca is grown to make cocaine, that has become a frequent site of military hotspots for recruitment were Putumayo and Cauca Valley, where the conditions of violence are Mantilla said that some recent data indicated forced recruitment may have skyrocketed by 1,200% in the last few years since the pandemic. The rise is attributed to economic decline in vulnerable areas post-pandemic, and the territorial expansion of armed groups, Mr Yuri said. He also said public institutions are better at tracking these youths than they once were, leading to a rise in the overall official numbers. "Child recruitment has been possible because of the existence of unprotected, abandoned and marginalised children, and legal loopholes in the Colombian justice system," Mr Mantilla said.
Kuwait Times
13-06-2025
- Politics
- Kuwait Times
Teenage hitmen plague Colombia
BOGOTA: Decades after drug lord Pablo Escobar notoriously built a small army of child hitmen to murder police officers, judges and politicians, Colombia is still plagued by the scourge of teenage assassins. Last week, a 15-year-old was arrested for allegedly shooting presidential hopeful Miguel Uribe at a rally in Bogota in scenes reminiscent of the bad old days of assassinations, kidnappings and bombings in the violence-weary South American nation. The government believes the boy was a hired gun but has yet to determine who ordered the hit on the 39-year-old senator, whose condition remains critical. The youngster has offered to 'collaborate' with authorities and claimed to have received his orders from a person in the 'olla,' as drug-dealing neighborhoods are known. The use of children to commit such acts 'is not something exceptional for Colombia,' Matthew Charles, director of the Mi Historia foundation for vulnerable youth, told AFP. Now, as at the time of Escobar, kids from poor, often troubled homes in violent regions are lured into the criminal underworld with promises of money and glory. 'They are looking for quick solutions because there is no food on the table in their homes at night,' said Charles. 'Deceived' Criminal gangs—whether they be drug cartels, guerrilla forces or other armed groups—use children because they can be easily manipulated. A report by the UN children's agency UNICEF and the Colombian Institute of Family Welfare (ICBF) found around 530 minors were recruited by organized crime groups between 2020 and 2022 for a variety of jobs, including as lookouts, couriers or even fighters. On average, they were between 13 and 14 years old, and the majority were from low-income, rural areas in regions plagued by armed conflict. Between January and June last year, 142 minors were recruited, according to a different report from the ONCA agency that monitors the impact of armed conflict on children in Colombia. According to Charles's research, criminal groups offer to pay young hitmen between $50 and $500 per victim—a small fortune for someone with limited education and employment opportunities. However, many are 'deceived' and never get their money, he said. About a third of Colombians live in poverty, according to official figures. In some cases, armed groups convince children to do their bidding under the influence of psychoactive drugs, said ICBF director Astrid Caceres. In 2024 alone, about 5,000 children aged 14 to 17 entered the criminal justice system in Colombia, according to the justice ministry—though it did not provide a breakdown of the nature of their crimes. 'Old custom' Turning minors into hitmen 'is an old custom' that 'takes advantage of their marginalized situation,' criminal lawyer Francisco Bernate told AFP. Generally, people under 18 are not considered fully capable of understanding the consequences of their actions, he added, citing developmental science. As a result, minors in Colombia can be sentenced to no more than eight years in confinement, compared to 50 years for an adult. Children do not go to jail, but rather to specialized centers where they undergo rehabilitation and training, said Attorney General Luz Adriana Camargo. The alleged shooter in the Uribe case has been placed in witness protection with his family while the investigation unfolds. The assassination attempt has brought back bad memories of the days of Escobar, under whose reign of terror four presidential candidates were assassinated in the 1980s and 1990s. In March 1990, leftist presidential candidate Bernardo Jaramillo was shot at point-blank range as he was about to board a plane with his partner for a Caribbean holiday. His shooter was 16. 'That young man was detained for just over a year... and in 1992 he was found shot to death along with his father in the trunk of a car in Medellin,' journalist Jorge Cardona told AFP. Cardona authored a book, 'Dias de Memoria,' about the violent events that marked Colombia from 1986 to 1991. In 1984, another 16-year-old assassinated Justice Minister Rodrigo Lara Bonilla on the orders of Escobar, himself shot dead by police in 1993. — AFP
The Sun
12-06-2025
- Politics
- The Sun
Teen hitmen plague Colombia decades after Escobar hired kids to kill
BOGOTÁ: Decades after drug lord Pablo Escobar notoriously built a small army of child hitmen to murder police officers, judges and politicians, Colombia is still plagued by the scourge of teenage assassins. Last week, a 15-year-old was arrested for allegedly shooting presidential hopeful Miguel Uribe at a rally in Bogota in scenes reminiscent of the bad old days of assassinations, kidnappings and bombings in the violence-weary South American nation. The government believes the boy was a hired gun but has yet to determine who ordered the hit on the 39-year-old senator, whose condition remains critical. The youngster has offered to 'collaborate' with authorities and claimed to have received his orders from a person in the 'olla,' as drug-dealing neighborhoods are known. The use of children to commit such acts 'is not something exceptional for Colombia,' Matthew Charles, director of the Mi Historia foundation for vulnerable youth, told AFP. Now, as at the time of Escobar, kids from poor, often troubled homes in violent regions are lured into the criminal underworld with promises of money and glory. 'They are looking for quick solutions because there is no food on the table in their homes at night,' said Charles. 'Deceived' Criminal gangs -- whether they be drug cartels, guerrilla forces or other armed groups -- use children because they can be easily manipulated. A report by the UN children's agency UNICEF and the Colombian Institute of Family Welfare (ICBF) found around 530 minors were recruited by organized crime groups between 2020 and 2022 for a variety of jobs, including as lookouts, couriers or even fighters. On average, they were between 13 and 14 years old, and the majority were from low-income, rural areas in regions plagued by armed conflict. Between January and June last year, 142 minors were recruited, according to a different report from the ONCA agency that monitors the impact of armed conflict on children in Colombia. According to Charles's research, criminal groups offer to pay young hitmen between $50 and $500 per victim -- a small fortune for someone with limited education and employment opportunities. However, many are 'deceived' and never get their money, he said. About a third of Colombians live in poverty, according to official figures. In some cases, armed groups convince children to do their bidding under the influence of psychoactive drugs, said ICBF director Astrid Caceres. In 2024 alone, about 5,000 children aged 14 to 17 entered the criminal justice system in Colombia, according to the justice ministry -- though it did not provide a breakdown of the nature of their crimes. 'Old custom' Turning minors into hitmen 'is an old custom' that 'takes advantage of their marginalized situation,' criminal lawyer Francisco Bernate told AFP. Generally, people under 18 are not considered fully capable of understanding the consequences of their actions, he added, citing developmental science. As a result, minors in Colombia can be sentenced to no more than eight years in confinement, compared to 50 years for an adult. Children do not go to jail, but rather to specialized centers where they undergo rehabilitation and training, said Attorney General Luz Adriana Camargo. The alleged shooter in the Uribe case has been placed in witness protection with his family while the investigation unfolds. The assassination attempt has brought back bad memories of the days of Escobar, under whose reign of terror four presidential candidates were assassinated in the 1980s and 1990s. In March 1990, leftist presidential candidate Bernardo Jaramillo was shot at point-blank range as he was about to board a plane with his partner for a Caribbean holiday. His shooter was 16. 'That young man was detained for just over a year... and in 1992 he was found shot to death along with his father in the trunk of a car in Medellin,' journalist Jorge Cardona told AFP. Cardona authored a book, 'Dias de Memoria,' about the violent events that marked Colombia from 1986 to 1991. In 1984, another 16-year-old assassinated Justice Minister Rodrigo Lara Bonilla on the orders of Escobar, himself shot dead by police in 1993.
South China Morning Post
12-06-2025
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
Teen assassins plague Colombia decades after Escobar hired kids to kill
Decades after drug lord Pablo Escobar notoriously built a small army of child hitmen to murder police officers, judges and politicians, Colombia is still plagued by the scourge of teenage assassins. Last week, a 15-year-old was arrested for allegedly shooting presidential hopeful Miguel Uribe at a rally in Bogotá in scenes reminiscent of the bad old days of assassinations, kidnappings and bombings in the violence-weary South American nation. The government believes the boy was a hired gun but has yet to determine who ordered the hit on the 39-year-old senator, whose condition remains critical. The youngster has offered to 'collaborate' with authorities and claimed to have received his orders from a person in the 'olla', as drug-dealing neighbourhoods are known. Senator Miguel Uribe was shot and wounded in Bogotá on June 7. Photo: AFP The use of children to commit such acts 'is not something exceptional for Colombia,' Matthew Charles, director of the Mi Historia foundation for vulnerable youth, said.
