‘No viable opposition' to Islamic Republic of Iran if regime implodes, says analyst
We spoke to Ali Vaez – director of the Iran Project at the International Crisis Group
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The Guardian
3 days ago
- The Guardian
Colombia gangs lure children to join ranks via TikTok, UN warns
Gangs in Colombia are increasingly recruiting children into their ranks, with a notable number coerced over TikTok and Facebook, the United Nations has warned. The UN Human Rights Office in Colombia said it had verified 474 cases of recruitment or use of under-18s between 2022 and 2024, and that the situation was 'worsening in 2025'. In 36 cases children were recruited at school, while recruitment through social networking platforms was of 'grave concern', it said. 'It's horrific, toxic and ugly. Illegal groups are using social media to lure girls and boys into their ranks, which is increasing violence across the country and strengthening narco-trafficking,' said Scott Campbell, Colombia's representative for the UN high commissioner for human rights. Elizabeth Dickinson, an analyst at the International Crisis Group, said the first contact often comes over social media, with TikTok rife with videos posted by armed groups 'depicting the perks' of the lifestyle. Posts showed 'parties in clubs, designer clothes and heavy weapons', she added. Campbell said the children are promised motorbikes, mobile phones and money, with girls also offered cosmetic surgery. Investigators from the Special Jurisdiction for Peace (JEP) said such content spread rapidly, with some posts receiving up to 625,000 views. Campbell criticised social media companies for failing to properly tackle the problem. 'If children were being recruited into illegal groups in London or Silicon Valley, social media companies would be putting huge resources into this,' he said. TikTok and Meta told UN Human Rights they were working with state entities on the issue and removing harmful content. The crisis was only worsening, UN Human Rights said, highlighting that in the first quarter of 2025 it had received 118 allegations of recruitment or use of children, of which it verified 51. Child recruits were a big issue in Colombia's decades-long internal armed conflict, with the JEP reporting that more than 18,000 minors were recruited by the rebel group the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, Farc, before it demobilised in 2016. The findings come amid an increase in violence across Colombia. In January, clashes between armed groups fighting for control of a region bordering Venezuela led to the displacement of more than 50,000 people, while in June a wave of coordinated bomb and gun attacks killed at least seven people and wounded 50 across the country's south-west. Campbell said child recruitment appeared to be rising as presidential elections approach next year. This month a 15-year-old was charged with the attempted assassination of the presidential candidate Miguel Uribe. Colombian authorities have claimed a criminal organisation was behind the attack. The International Crisis Group recently warned that the rate of child recruitment had reached its highest point in more than a decade. Meanwhile, JEP said that since the final peace agreement was signed with Farc in 2016, a minor had been recruited on average every 48 hours. Many families are too afraid to report their children missing due to fears of reprisals and stigmatisation. In January, when 112 members of the armed 33rd Front turned themselves in, 20 were found to be minors. In another case, after a clash left nearly two dozen fighters dead, a third of those killed were discovered to be under the age of 18.
The Guardian
3 days ago
- The Guardian
Colombia gangs lure children to join ranks via TikTok, UN warns
Gangs in Colombia are increasingly recruiting children into their ranks, with a notable number coerced over TikTok and Facebook, the United Nations has warned. The UN Human Rights Office in Colombia said it had verified 474 cases of recruitment or use of under-18s between 2022 and 2024, and that the situation was 'worsening in 2025'. In 36 cases children were recruited at school, while recruitment through social networking platforms was of 'grave concern', it said. 'It's horrific, toxic and ugly. Illegal groups are using social media to lure girls and boys into their ranks, which is increasing violence across the country and strengthening narco-trafficking,' said Scott Campbell, Colombia's representative for the UN high commissioner for human rights. Elizabeth Dickinson, an analyst at the International Crisis Group, said the first contact often comes over social media, with TikTok rife with videos posted by armed groups 'depicting the perks' of the lifestyle. Posts showed 'parties in clubs, designer clothes and heavy weapons', she added. Campbell said the children are promised motorbikes, mobile phones and money, with girls also offered cosmetic surgery. Investigators from the Special Jurisdiction for Peace (JEP) said such content spread rapidly, with some posts receiving up to 625,000 views. Campbell criticised social media companies for failing to properly tackle the problem. 'If children were being recruited into illegal groups in London or Silicon Valley, social media companies would be putting huge resources into this,' he said. TikTok and Meta told UN Human Rights they were working with state entities on the issue and removing harmful content. The crisis was only worsening, UN Human Rights said, highlighting that in the first quarter of 2025 it had received 118 allegations of recruitment or use of children, of which it verified 51. Child recruits were a big issue in Colombia's decades-long internal armed conflict, with the JEP reporting that more than 18,000 minors were recruited by the rebel group the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, Farc, before it demobilised in 2016. The findings come amid an increase in violence across Colombia. In January, clashes between armed groups fighting for control of a region bordering Venezuela led to the displacement of more than 50,000 people, while in June a wave of coordinated bomb and gun attacks killed at least seven people and wounded 50 across the country's south-west. Campbell said child recruitment appeared to be rising as presidential elections approach next year. This month a 15-year-old was charged with the attempted assassination of the presidential candidate Miguel Uribe. Colombian authorities have claimed a criminal organisation was behind the attack. The International Crisis Group recently warned that the rate of child recruitment had reached its highest point in more than a decade. Meanwhile, JEP said that since the final peace agreement was signed with Farc in 2016, a minor had been recruited on average every 48 hours. Many families are too afraid to report their children missing due to fears of reprisals and stigmatisation. In January, when 112 members of the armed 33rd Front turned themselves in, 20 were found to be minors. In another case, after a clash left nearly two dozen fighters dead, a third of those killed were discovered to be under the age of 18.
The Guardian
6 days ago
- The Guardian
EU tells Israel to improve humanitarian conditions in Gaza
The EU may take action to increase pressure on Israel unless there are 'concrete' improvements for the inhabitants of Gaza, its foreign policy chief has said. After meeting the bloc's foreign ministers in Brussels, Kaja Kallas said it was 'very clear' that Israel had breached its human rights commitments in Gaza and the West Bank. She said if the situation for Palestinians did not improve the EU could discuss 'further measures and come back to this in July'. But Kallas declined to spell out details: 'The concrete question is what then we [the EU] are able to agree? But right now, the most important thing is to improve the situation on the ground, improve the lives of people in Palestine and stop the suffering and also human toll that we see there every day.' The foreign ministers discussed the EU's relationship with Israel after a report by Kallas's team found 'indications' that its ally was in breach of human rights obligations over the catastrophic humanitarian situation in Gaza and settler violence in the West Bank. Lisa Musiol of the International Crisis Group, which works to prevent conflict, said the EU had 'missed an important opportunity to make clear to the Israeli government that its policies in Gaza and the West Bank have long crossed a red line and will come at a cost for EU-Israel relations'. A review of the EU-Israel association agreement – a trade and cooperation pact – was triggered last month by 17 member states in protest at Israel's blockade of humanitarian aid to Gaza. On Monday, only Spain called for outright suspension of the agreement although other strong supporters of the Palestinians – Ireland, Sweden and Belgium – stressed the need for action. Spain's foreign minister, José Manuel Albares, also called for an arms embargo, telling his counterparts that the EU needed to speak frankly to its friend, Israel, over violations of human rights. France's foreign minister, Jean-Noël Barrot, told reporters that Israel had 'clearly violated' article two of the EU-Israel agreement (a clause on human rights) and ministers would 'draw the consequences' at their meeting next month. However, Germany, Italy and Greece were among the countries that voiced opposition to suspending the agreement. Italy's foreign minister, Antonio Tajani, said his country was hosting Palestinian refugees because of its dialogue with Israel. Hungary, which is a staunch ally of Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, opposed even launching the review. Over the weekend, Israel reacted furiously to the leaked review, describing it as 'outrageous and indecent'. In a memo to the EU's foreign service, it said the review was 'a biased and extremely one-sided summary of many anti-Israeli voices'. The EU report is largely based on findings from UN bodies and the international court of justice. While the overall pact can be suspended only by unanimity, parts of the relationship agreement – trade or Israel's participation in the EU's Horizon research programme – could be suspended by a weighted majority vote. Belgium said the humanitarian situation in Gaza should not be forgotten amid concern about the escalating crisis in the Middle East following US airstrikes on Iran. Sign up to This is Europe The most pressing stories and debates for Europeans – from identity to economics to the environment after newsletter promotion 'Some countries may consider that this is not the right time to take measures against Israel, given that Israel is fighting Iran in order to preserve security,' said Belgium's foreign minister, Maxime Prévot. 'I believe that the two issues must be separated,' he added, urging 'that we do not lose sight of the humanitarian emergency'. Sweden's foreign minister, Maria Malmer Stenergard, said the 'extremely severe situation' in Gaza should not be forgotten: 'People are suffering and we cannot just watch.' Agnes Bertrand Sanz of Oxfam said: 'There are moments in history where delay and distraction are not neutral, it is a decision. While EU ministers continue to debate and defer, entire families in Gaza are being buried under rubble and people are being killed while trying to get food. Every second of delay costs lives.' The association agreement, which came into force in 2000, underpins a trading relationship worth €68bn (£58bn) between the 27 EU countries and Israel. The bloc is Israel's largest market, accounting for about a third of its exports.
