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Nicolas Torres

Journalist

Nicolas Torres is a journalist based in Colombia.

December 19, 2025

How armed groups lure Colombian children via TikTokBig Tech
A guerrilla of Colombian rebel group Estado Mayor Central, Carlos Patino Front, a dissident of the former FARC guerrilla group, stands guard on a highway, in Canon del Micay, Colombia August 5, 2025. REUTERS/Luisa Gonzalez

Wads of cash, speedboats, booze and mobile phones are just some of the perks flaunted at young people on TikTok by illegal armed groups in Colombia looking to recruit fighters to their ranks.

Context identified more than 100 active TikTok accounts that appear to be run by members of groups that include the left-wing National Liberation Army (ELN) and dissidents of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), as well as right-wing paramilitary groups like the Gaitanist Army of Colombia (EGC).

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