News / Colombia

Colombia’s FARC to remove child soldiers from ranks

Monday, 16 May 2016 6:25 AM [ Last Update: Monday, 16 May 2016 6:26 AM ]

FARC guerrilla commander Ivan Marquez (L) and head of the Colombian delegation to the peace talks Humberto de la Calle (R) shake hands during a press conference in Havana, May 15, 2016. (Photo by AFP)

Colombia’s FARC rebel group has agreed to remove child soldiers from its ranks as part of agreements with the government aimed at ending the decades-long conflict in the South American country.

FARC agreed to “implement departure of those under 15 years of age as soon as terms are agreed upon,” the two sides said in a joint statement in Cuba, the host country of the peace talks, on Sunday.

The statement did not mention how many minors would be leaving the rebels’ ranks but the group said on Sunday it has 21 children under 15.

How the children will be reintegrated back into the civil society is among the terms that must be decided.

“We have agreed with the national government that these minors cannot be prosecuted and that, as victims of an immense social and political drama, they will be treated as such and never as criminals,” chief FARC negotiator Ivan Marquez said.

The commander of the FARC guerrillas, Ivan Marquez, speaks during a press conference given by the delegations to the peace talks between the rebels and the Colombian government, at the National Hotel in Havana, May 15, 2016. (Photo by AFP)

The UN children’s agency, UNICEF, and the International Organization for Migration will oversee the procedure to ensure both sides abide by their commitments, according to the provisions of the deal.

Progress has been reported in the negotiations between the two sides, with President Juan Manuel Santos on Friday expressing hope that the war with FARC would end “very soon.”

On Wednesday, Interior Minister Juan Fernando Cristo also said the peace negotiations were in the “home stretch,” adding that the country plans to hold a referendum by September on the peace deal.

Bogota and FARC have been at war since the guerrilla movement rose to prominence in 1964. So far, more than 200,000 people have been killed in clashes between the two sides and millions of others have been displaced.

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