Ecuadorean army commander General Ernesto Gonzalez denounces the recruitment of Ecuadorean minors into the ranks of Colombia’s FARC guerrilla group, reports Caracol.
Gonzalez said there have been several complaints of Ecuadorean children being taken across the border to join the rebel army. Four children, aged from 14 to 17, are reported missing from a border town and may have been on the Colombian side during a recent raid on a FARC camp close to the border.
Earlier this week, there was confusion regarding the nationality of a child found dead after the raid. On Tuesday, Colombia stated the minor was Colombian and not Ecuadorean as was initially reported. The 12-year-old was found with both an Ecuadorean refugee card and a Colombian identification card.
The raid was carried out Monday by Colombian forces against the camp of the 48th Front of the FARC in Ipiales in Nariño, close to the Ecuadorean border. Seventeen bodies have been recovered.