CALDONO, Colombia (AP) — The Indigenous Guard of the Nasa people formed in Colombia in 2001 to protect Indigenous territories from armed groups and from environmental destruction such as deforestation and illegal mining. In the last few years, they have been forced to confront a growing problem with those armed groups recruiting children into operations that include growing coca for cocaine. By one estimate, more than 900 children have been recruited in one region where the groups are highly active. The Guard members don’t carry weapons, but that hasn’t stopped them from confronting the armed guerrillas to try to recover child recruits. More than 40 Guard members have been slain in the nearly 10 years since a 2016 peace deal that some dissidents have ignored.
By Steven Grattan, Associated Press
Banner image: A coca plant in Bolívar, Colombia. Photo by Dbotany/ Ilmari Karonen Creative Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)
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