Schoolchildren Lured By Colombia Rebels On TikTok

COLOMBIA – Fighters from Colombia’s largest rebel movement are using TiKtok to recruit young people.

The BBC investigated these guerrilla recruitment videos, noting that dissident factions have yet to agree to a peace deal with the Colombian government.

A local teacher reports that students often film themselves mimicking guerrilla symbols and tunes, influenced by TikTok videos.

She says this behavior, once secretive, is now common. Some students disappear and later reappear in videos as armed fighters.

Dissident factions are said to remain active, recruiting young people and financing themselves through drug trafficking.

Despite attempts at negotiation, these groups continue to grow, with the Ombudsman’s office reporting 159 young recruits in the first half of 2024.