16 August 2000
U.S. Laments Deaths of Colombian Children Caught in Crossfire
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Office of the Spokesman
August 16, 2000
STATEMENT BY PHILIP T. REEKER, DEPUTY SPOKESMAN
VIOLENCE IN COLOMBIA
On August 15, a group of Colombian students was caught in a cross-fire
between Marxist rebels and the army in a war-torn corner of Colombia.
Six children were killed and five injured. The children, aged six to
eleven years, were strolling through the countryside during a school
trip near the town of Pueblo Rico in Antioquia Department when
shooting erupted between an army unit and National Liberation Army
(ELN) guerrillas.
We are appalled by this event and sadly note that the true victims of
the ongoing civil strife in Colombia are innocent civilians. These
children are victims of a mindless conflict that far too often
involves the murder and kidnapping of innocent civilians. We call on
all sides of the conflict to obey international humanitarian law and
to move to reduce the impact of the conflict on innocent civilians
immediately by abandoning attacks in areas where civilians may be
killed or injured.
(end text)
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