Colombia Military Operations Killed 62 Minors Under Petro, Forensic Institute Says
COLOMBIA · SECURITY
Key Facts
—What happened: Colombia’s forensic institute disclosed that 62 minors died in Colombia military operations during Gustavo Petro’s government.
—How it compares: Petro’s term recorded 458 deaths in operations through 31 May, against 367 deaths and 42 minors under Iván Duque.
—Why now: The figures surfaced as forensic doctors identified three minors among the dead in the Guaviare bombing.
—The catch: The three Guaviare minors, two aged 15 and one 16, fall under the new government, which now counts four.
—Who said it: Ariel Emilio Cortés, director of the National Institute of Legal Medicine, gave the numbers in a media interview on Monday.
—Also burning: The Tolima wildfires have now destroyed more than 28,000 hectares of farmland in the government’s running count.
Colombia’s forensic institute has disclosed that 62 minors died in Colombia military operations during the Petro government, a figure released as it confirmed three children among the dead in the Guaviare bombing and as the Tolima fires passed 28,000 hectares of burned farmland.
What the forensic institute disclosed
The numbers came from Ariel Emilio Cortés, director of the National Institute of Legal Medicine and Forensic Sciences, known in Colombia as Medicina Legal. He gave them in a media interview on Monday, reported by the news site Pulzo.
During the government of Iván Duque, from 2018 to 2022, a total of 367 people died in the framework of military operations. Of those, 42 were minors.
Under Gustavo Petro, with a cut-off of 31 May this year, the count stands at 458 deaths in Colombia military operations. Of those, 62 were minors, well above the full previous term.
Cortés added a figure for the current administration. Four minors have died in operations since Abelardo De La Espriella took office on 7 August.
The Guaviare identification that prompted the disclosure
The historical data emerged because of last week’s bombing of a FARC dissident camp in El Retorno, Guaviare, which we covered as the operation that ended the “total peace” era. Medicina Legal has now identified nine of the ten bodies recovered there.
Three of the identified dead are minors. Cortés described them as two 15-year-olds and one 16-year-old, two girls and one boy.
A tenth body arrived incomplete at the institute’s facilities and remains unidentified. The remains were first taken to San José del Guaviare and then to the institute’s main laboratory in Villavicencio for autopsy.
The necropsy reports on cause and manner of death have been sent to the military criminal justice system. The institute is trying to contact the families to hand over the bodies.
Why the comparison stings both governments
Petro campaigned on protecting children from the war, and his “total peace” strategy promised to end the bombing of camps where recruited minors lived. The forensic count shows more minors died in Colombia military operations on his watch than under his conservative predecessor.
The new government has the opposite problem. It has abandoned “total peace” for open offensive, and its first month already carries four dead minors.
Under international law, children recruited by armed groups remain victims whom the state must protect. A precision bomb does not change that obligation.
Meanwhile, the Tolima fires keep eating farmland
The second front in Monday’s news is the department of Tolima, where wildfires have now burned more than 28,000 hectares of farmland. The figure stood at around 28,000 when President De La Espriella declared a public calamity on Thursday, and it has kept growing since.
The wider fire footprint passed 50,000 hectares last week, with 2,660 producers hit. The government says the fires were set deliberately and is offering up to COP 50 million (about US$16,000) for information leading to the arsonists.
The details of the calamity decree and the reward are in our earlier report. What has changed is the toll on the region’s farms, which grows by the day.
What to watch from here
The first marker is whether military justice investigates the Guaviare minors, the newest child deaths in Colombia military operations. The second is whether the offensive produces more child casualties as it expands.
In Tolima, watch the promised farm recovery plan and the elite police and military unit hunting the fire-starters. Colombia is now fighting a war, a wildfire emergency and an earthquake reconstruction at the same time.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many minors died in Colombia military operations under Petro?
Sixty-two minors, out of 458 total deaths in military operations, according to the National Institute of Legal Medicine with a cut-off of 31 May 2026. Under Iván Duque the count was 42 minors out of 367 deaths.
Who released the figures?
Ariel Emilio Cortés, director of Medicina Legal, Colombia’s national forensic institute, gave the numbers in a media interview on Monday 31 August 2026.
What did the institute say about the Guaviare bombing?
It has identified nine of ten bodies from the El Retorno operation, including three minors: two 15-year-olds and one 16-year-old, two girls and one boy. The necropsy reports went to military criminal justice.
How big are the Tolima fires now?
More than 28,000 hectares of farmland have burned, within a total fire footprint that passed 50,000 hectares last week. The government has declared a public calamity and says the fires were set deliberately.
Connected Coverage
The Guaviare operation and the end of “total peace” are in the Guaviare bombing killed three minors and the air strike on Calarcá’s camp, and the fire emergency in the Tolima public calamity and the reward for the arsonists.
Sources: Pulzo interview with Medicina Legal director Ariel Emilio Cortés (31 August 2026); Portafolio; The Rio Times prior coverage linked above.
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