The six top commanders of Colombia’s demobilized FARC and members of the guerrilla’s Secretariat have formally admitted to the forced recruitment of more than 18,000 minors, describing the practice as an “unjustifiable” crime that left irreversible scars on the lives of thousands of victims.
In a 453-page submission to the Special Jurisdiction for Peace (JEP), the tribunal created under Colombia’s 2016 peace accord, the ex-leaders of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) acknowledged their responsibility for the widespread recruitment of children between 1996 and 2006. The crimes include not only the forced enlistment of boys and girls, but also related abuses such as sexual violence within FARC ranks, forced abortions, and cruel and inhuman treatment.
“We now have the courage to assume responsibility for the harm caused to minors as a direct or indirect result of the armed conflict,” reads the statement signed by the former members of the group’s top command, including former FARC leader Rodrigo Londoño, known as ‘Timochenko.’ “The recruitment of minors was a grave error under International Humanitarian Law — one that shattered families and marked entire lives.”
The six former commanders — Londoño, Jaime Alberto Parra (‘El Médico’), Milton Toncel (‘Joaquín Gómez’), Pastor Alape, Pablo Catatumbo, and Julián Gallo (‘Carlos Antonio Lozada’) — are facing war crimes charges under JEP’s Case 07, which focuses on the recruitment and use of children in war. Two of the accused, Catatumbo and Gallo, are currently Senators for the Comunes Party.
Although they had previously acknowledged some responsibility, this week’s declaration represents their first formal response to charges brought by the tribunal in November 2024. The JEP estimates that at least 18,677 children were forcibly recruited, with some subjected to torture, rape, and forced abortions.
Victims’ representatives say the acknowledgment falls short of full accountability. “There is a lack of detailed and exhaustive truth,” said Juan Manuel Martínez, a lawyer leading the legal team representing victims before the JEP. “Their position remains adversarial, not dialogical.”
Martínez criticized the former commanders for downplaying or omitting entirely the role of sexual violence and reproductive abuse in their response. While the tribunal’s investigation includes documented cases of forced contraception and abortions, the ex-FARC leaders did not admit to these crimes in their letter.
“They claim there was no organizational policy to carry out sexual violence,” Martínez added. “But we have seen that these were widespread practices, and the former leadership was aware.”
The submission also questions the tribunal’s methodology, arguing that some minors joined the group voluntarily as a form of self-protection and that the evidence presented by the JEP lacked context or failed to prove orders were given by the high command.
Despite these arguments, the JEP maintains that the FARC’s leadership was aware of recruitment patterns across the country. The only region spared was the archipelago department of San Andrés, Providencia and Santa Catalina. According to the tribunal, approximately 5,600 of the children recruited were aged 14 or younger, despite internal FARC rules prohibiting the enlistment of those under 15.
The recruitment methods varied: 57% involved coercion or threats; 28% relied on deception, such as false promises of education or family reunification; and 15% involved ideological persuasion.
The six ex-commanders urged the JEP to consolidate the multiple cases against them into a single resolution to speed up the transitional justice process. “We remain committed to a justice process that provides legal certainty for those who signed the Peace Accord,” the letter reads.
If the JEP determines that the letter constitutes a meaningful acknowledgment of truth and responsibility, it could schedule a public hearing. During such a session, the accused would formally admit to the charges and become eligible for alternative sentences focused on reparations rather than prison terms.
The ex-commanders emphasized their continued involvement in restorative actions, including participation in memorial ceremonies such as at Bogotá’s El Nogal Club, support for humanitarian demining, the search for missing persons, and legislative efforts on behalf of victims and marginalized communities.
The FARC’s admission marks a milestone in Colombia’s search for truth and accountability in the wake of a half-century conflict that left more than 260,000 dead and millions displaced.
But for victims’ groups and human rights advocates, full justice remains elusive.
“Only a full and honest account can begin to repair the wounds inflicted on thousands of children who were robbed of their childhoods,” said Martínez. “This is only the beginning.”
