International • • • 🌿 Progressive

Operativo policial en Soacha durante el rescate de cuatro menores
Imagen alusiva al operativo de Soacha · Imagen generada para EPM

Soacha Rescue: Eight Alleged Dissidents Captured and Four Minors Saved

The National Police and the Attorney General's Office captured eight alleged members of the Franco Benavides Front in Soacha and rescued four minors who were…

Eight alleged members of the Franco Benavides Front, a FARC dissident structure, were captured in Soacha in an operation by the National Police and the Attorney General's Office that rescued four minors who, according to authorities, were about to be transferred to Guaviare. --- The context --- The recruitment of minors by illegal armed groups remains one of the most serious violations against children in Colombia. Reports from the Ministry of Justice and the Ombudsman's Office document 113 confirmed cases of illegal recruitment of minors between January 1 and August 31, 2026. --- The facts --- Intelligence units intervened in the metropolitan area of Soacha, in Cundinamarca, and prevented the forced transfer of the four minors to jungle areas of Guaviare. The eight alleged members were placed at the disposal of the Attorney General's Office to face prosecution for illicit recruitment and illegal possession of firearms. During the search and control procedure, officers seized 2 handguns, 4 magazines, 48 rounds of 9 mm ammunition and 5 mobile phones used, according to the investigation, for illegal recruitment and transport logistics. After the concentrated hearings, a guarantees control judge imposed pretrial detention on 5 of those charged, and the four minors were placed under the protection of the Colombian Family Welfare Institute. --- The positions --- President Abelardo De La Espriella said that the transfer of the four minors who were to be handed over to that structure had been thwarted and stated that children would not continue to be robbed of their childhood and their future. Defense sector assessments identify the structure under the orders of alias Iván Mordisco as the organization with the highest incidence of coercion and incorporation of children in Guaviare, Cauca and the Catatumbo region. The criminal case file advances to fully dismantle the logistics network that linked the Bogotá savanna with the south of the country. After the rescue, the four minors were placed under the protection of the Colombian Family Welfare Institute. --- What remains unknown --- The identities of the eight alleged detainees are not yet known, nor is the state of progress of the criminal case against the rest of the network. It has also not been reported how long the minors had been under the structure's control or in what condition they were found at the time of the rescue. --- Unanswered questions --- What protection and support measures will the four rescued minors receive in the coming months? How many members of the logistics network between the Bogotá savanna and the south of the country remain at large? What concrete results are the permanent tracking operations in Guaviare, Cauca and Catatumbo producing in the face of the 113 cases recorded this year? --- EPM analysis --- The operation confirms that recruitment no longer happens only in rural areas: networks also operate close to Bogotá. Rescuing four minors is a concrete result, but 113 cases in eight months show that the response cannot be limited to isolated captures. 📌 EPM Take: In EPM's view, the Soacha rescue matters for two reasons: it returns four minors to the protection of the State and exposes a recruitment route that connected the Bogotá savanna with Guaviare. Pretrial detention for 5 of the 8 alleged detainees is a serious judicial step. But as long as new cases keep appearing, the balance will remain insufficient: protecting children requires a permanent state presence, prevention in neighborhoods and justice that reaches the last link of these networks.
📤 Share on Telegram

¿Te gustó este artículo? Recibe cobertura global en tu correo.

Suscríbete gratis / Subscribe free