A report published by the Washington Post revealed that the Farc guerrilla has intensified its recruitment of minors in an effort to bulk up their combat units, even as they sit at the negotiation table with the Colombian Government in Havana, Cuba.

According to Alma Viviana Pérez, director of the presidential Human Rights Program in Colombia, “as the guerrilla suffers blows from the Colombian Army and the desertion of its militants, the “tactic they have resorted to is the recruitment of minors”.

It’s unknown just how many children are a part of Farc, but it’s been suggested that there could be as many as 9,000. In the past 12 years, the Colombian Government has helped more than 5,000 children who have managed to escape the clutches of guerrilla groups, mainly Farc, and 500 of those minors are in special orphanages for former militants. “It’s a silent tragedy, one without concrete data,” says Maria Fernanda Cruz, coordinator of Merrcy Corps; she said the phenomenon has increased over the past three years.

Farc chiefs, meanwhile, have publicly denied committing war crimes and insist that children and teenagers join their ranks looking for an escape from conditions of extreme poverty.

The Supreme Court sentenced former Congressman Cesar Perez Garcia to 30 years in prison for his role in the Segovia massacre, in which 43 people died. The Court found the 78-year old politician guilty of homicide, conspiracy to commit a crime and personal injuries for his participation in the massacre that occurred on November 11^th, 1988, when Pérez was a representative for Antioqua in the House of Representatives.

Perez was accused of participating in the massacre to preserve his political influence in the area. He allegedly asked paramilitary chiefs, Fidel Castaño and Henry de Jesús Perez to take care of reducing the reach of leftists in that region. During the trial there was evidence suggesting that Perez didn’t just give the orders for the massacre, but also actively contributed to the creation of the paramilitary group known as “Death to Revolutionaries of Antioquia’s Northeast”.

A guest speaker at the Non-Violence Summit was Rogelio Alonso from Spain, who weighed in on Medellín’s reality.

“It’s unrealistic to think that violence will be eradicated tomorrow,” the expert said, explaining that the root of the problem is a subculture of hatred and vengeance, which can only be changed with the development of respect for human rights and democratic values. A reduction in homicides, for instance, is only a temporary solution to a problem that goes far beyond that.

The Ministry of Defense denied that 33 members of the military were killed in an ambush by Farc in Putumayo. Via Twitter, Colombia’s former Vice President, Francisco Santos, reported an ambush against two military groups which supposedly resulted in 33 deaths.

The Sixth Division of the National Army also denied the attacks and said the last confrontation reported in the area was on April 15^th in a rural area of the muncipiality of Puerto Asis, which resulted in the death of two members of the subversive group.

At least 2,000 people took part in the March for Peace in Medellín, which began at the Casa de la Memoria, in Bicentennial Park; participants walked along Oriental Ave, San Juan,and ended at the Alpujarra administrative center.

The Mira Party, Forjando Futuros, sectors of the Democratic Pole,  victims’ rights groups, Marcha Patriótica and students from the University of Antioquia participated as well as Antioquia’s Governorship and other government entities. Former hostages Sigifredo López and Oscar Tulio Lizano were also there.

The Mira Party demanded “real participation of the civil society and more of it on the negotiating table in Havana, Cuba.”  Gerardo Vega of Forjando Futuros said the march is meant to support a negotiated solution to the armed conflict.

An entire week dedicated to the millions of victims of the armed conflict begins today with demonstrations, symbolic acts, ceremonies to hand over land titles to displaced victims and a dance and music show performed by more than 100 people affected by violence. President Santos announced he would be present in a few of the day’s events.

The Accusations Committee of the House of Representatives cannot investigate former President Alvaro Uribe for revealing confidential information last Sunday. Via Twitter, Mr.Uribe revealed the coordinates of a location where Farc commanders were meant to be picked up and transported to Havana, Cuba, where they would participate in peace talks underway with the Colombian Government.

According to constitutional lawyer, Juan Manuel Charry, Uribe acted as a common citizen and not as president and the contents he revealed were the responsibility of the government officials in charge. Charry suggested the Ministry of Defense open an internal investigation to determine the source that revealed the information to Mr. Uribe in the first place. In that case, Uribe would only be held responsible if the information happened to have been obtained through coercion or bribery.

The Minister of Defense, Juan Carlos Pinzón, said “it’s not acceptable for members of the Public Forces to reveal confidential information” and ordered General Alejandro Navas, general commander of the Military Forces, to open an internal investigation to find out who allowed the information to be leaked.

According to Minister Pinzón, “it’s no secret that during this peace process several Farc guerrilla members have been transported to Havana to participate in the talks.”  He added that there has never been talk of a demilitarized zone, simply temporary suspensions of military activity in areas with guerrilla presence to facilitate their transportation. These missions, Pinzón explained, are developed under the observation of international agents and with the support of the International Red Cross.

In the past 18 months, authorities have taken down 35 Farc heads as well as all the heads of criminal gangs, according to Minister of Defense, Juan Carlos Pinzón.

Thanks to efforts by the Public Forces in the past year, Farc’s terrorist capacity has been diminished by more than one thousanarmed men and a similar number of militiamen and supporting networks.

“In 2011 there were 9,100 armed men, approximately, and by the end of 2012 they were at 7,800 (…) they are taking a hit. It’s estimated that there were between 10,500 and 11,000 members of groups supporting terrorism or militias and we estimate that by the end of 2012 there were between 9,000 and 10,000,” Pinzón said.

Although all this data is based on estimations, an average of five Farc members demobilize every day, which confirms the precarious conditions within their armed structures.

“In ten years they’ve lost 60 percent of their capacity and in a year and a half, 35 heads of Farc fronts and two top chiefs. What’s next for them? More of the same, and at that rate, if one thinks ahead four or five years, it will be an organization that exists like a Bacrim. That’s where they’re headed,” Pinzón stressed.

The Defense Minister also highlighted that the Armed Forces are producing results on a daily basis, including Friday’s arrest of the brother of alias ‘Cesar’.

Bogotá’s Metropolitan Police arrested alias ‘Luis el Grande’ in the neighborhood of Santa Isabel, in southern Bogotá, who handled everything having to do with the acquisition of weapons for Farc’s 7^th front.

The 34-year old man, whose real name was not released by authorities, had been in the Colombian capital for several months with the goal of acquiring weapons and war supplies, such as explosives and grenades, for use in terrorist activities in Meta and Guaviare, where this front is most active; supplies were also allegedly meant to reinforce security for the front’s chief, alias Gentil Duarte.

Colombia’s Minister of Defense, Juan Carlos Pinzón, said it’s ridiculous to doubt that Farc has ties with drug trafficking, especially after the Public Forces destroyed a cocaine lab that belonged to the guerrilla group’s 60^th front this past weekend and confiscated four tons of chlorhydrate of cocaine and two tons of chopped coca leaves.

“As far as the issue of whether Farc has ties to drug trafficking or not, it’s ridiculous to doubt it, because these ties have been confirmed and demonstrated time and time again,” Pinzón said before participating in an international security forum in Bogotá.

He said that details on how Farc negotiates and their partnerships with other cartels and criminal gang dedicated to the trafficking of drugs have been revealed on more than one occasion on the hard drives of computers confiscated by authorities in raids.

In the forum, Pinzón highlighted Colombia as a point of reference in terms of security issues, “because thanks to the effective work of the Public Forces, we went from having 55 percent of our municipalities affected by terrorism to just ten percent.”

President Juan Manuel Santos said that, if negotiations with Farc continue to progress at a good rhythm, it may be possible to reach a definitive agreement with the guerrilla group and bring the armed conflict to an end before the end of this year.

“We are optimistic that if we continue this way, we are going to achieve peace in the country before this year is over, God willing (…)”, the President said after meeting with his cabinet and the representatives of the National Unity Committee . He insisted that peace talks with Farc, now in the seventh cycle of negotiations, are advancing “in the correct way.”