TODAY COLOMBIA – Officials at the municipality of Yondó in Colombia’s Antioquia Department said FARC have been sexually abusing minors in the pre-grouping areas where they have been sent before moving to permanent settlements for surrender.
According to complainants, a group of at least 10 minors entered an area where guerrillas are staying in Yondó, and attempted to have sexual relations with some of them.
The complaint was made on the basis of information provided by local authorities at the municipality of Yondó and the Mayor’s Office. Secretary of Government Victoria Eugenia Ramírez said prostitutes in those areas would have also been present to support relations with the guerrillas.
A similar situation occurred in Dabeiba, another municipality in Antioquia, where a group of guerrillas still carrying arms were caught consuming alcohol. Governor of Antioquia Luis Pérez said he was worried because there is no one to verify what happens in the pre-grouping zones.
FARC, meanwhile, criticized the comments made by the governor, assuring that they will not allow the president to visit pre-grouping zones, as they think they carry “hatred and resentment.”
FARC described the comments as “attempts to sabotage the peace and to favor the war” — a situation they said they consider a mistake.
Sources: La F.M, El Espectador
This article originally appeared on Panampost.com
Article originally appeared on Today Colombia and is republished here with permission.
