The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia have turned over several conscripted children to the Red Cross. FARC has begun releasing children from its military ranks as part of a landmark peace deal with the government.
The ICRC reported that "various boys and girls" were in transit from FARC disarmament zones to a center run by the international children's agency UNICEF. Neither the ICRC nor FARC would say how many children the group had released, but local media sources reported that it was about seven.
"This first release of 2017 represents a significant step for solidifying that to which the parties had agreed," said Christoph Harnisch, the chief of the ICRC's regional delegation, adding that the children would be evaluated medically. Harnisch said the ICRC would "continue facilitating operations similar to the ones that will take place in the next weeks."
FARC's forced conscription of children had proved one of the thorniest issues in four years of peace talks with Colombia's government. In November, those negotiations yielded an accord to end half a century of conflict that has killed more than 260,000 people and left 60,000 missing.
Colombian FARC rebels begin disarming process
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Conditions for peace
Under the deal, FARC must release all of the dozens of conscripted children younger than 15. But that process had run behind schedule. Until Saturday's larger release, just 13 children had returned to civilian life, according to the government.
The government continues to hold separate talks with Colombia's last active rebel group: the National Liberation Army.
Latin America's longest armed conflict comes to an end
The Colombian government has reached a historic truce with FARC, ending over half a century of violence with the leftist group. Latin America's longest conflict claimed at least 220,000 lives.
Image: Reuters/A. Meneghini
How the insurgency started
In 1948, the assassination of populist leader Jorge Eliecer Gaitan sparked political chaos in Colombia known as "the violence." Tens of thousands died and peasant groups joined with communists to arm themselves. Later in 1964, a military attack on the insurgency's main encampment led to the creation of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia or FARC.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo
What the rebels wanted
FARC's political ideology has never been well defined. Initially, it sought to weaken the oligarchy's grip on power. The rebels also wanted land reforms in a country where more than 5 million people have been forcibly displaced, mostly by far-right militias. However, the group lost popularity as it turned to kidnapping and illegal gold mining for funds.
Image: Reuters
How the US got involved
To help the Colombian security forces fight against the insurgency and to counter drug-trafficking, the US began sending billions of dollars under Plan Colombia. The US State Department classifies the group as a terrorist organization and its leaders face US indictments.
Image: Reuters/J. Vizcaino
The human cost of the conflict
Latin America's longest-running armed conflict is responsible for the death an estimated 220,000 people, while millions of Colombians have been displaced within their country. According to Bogota’s estimates, there are 7.6 million direct and indirect victims of the conflict. The country has more landmine victims than any country except for Afghanistan.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/C. Escobar Mora
Peace accord after decades of failed attempts
Peace talks between FARC and the government collapsed in the mid 1980s after at least 3,000 allies of FARC's political wing Patriotic Union Party were killed at the hands of right-wing paramilitaries. Efforts fell short again in 2002 after the rebels hijacked an airliner to kidnap a senator. The latest round of talks started in 2012 in Havana and culminated on August 24, 2016 with a deal.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/E. Abramovich
50 years of conflict
"We have reached a final, integral and definitive agreement" to end the conflict and build a stable, lasting peace, the government of President Juan Manuel Santos and the left-wing Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia said in a joint statement. In June, the negotiators had already announced a cease-fire agreement and a blueprint for how the estimated 7,000 to 8,000 fighters will demobilize.
