BOGOTA – Colombian Defense Minister Guillermo Botero said he would resign in the midst of mounting political pressure over alleged extrajudicial killings.
“It is my duty as minister of defense to have an appropriate read on the political climate, which is why I have decided to present my resignation,” Botero added on Wednesday in a letter posted on the social media.
Botero, a 71-year-old businessman, has been battered by repeated scandals. This week a senator accused him of hiding information that children were killed in a recent bombing raid.
He said the operation was legitimate and the military was unaware there were minors in the camp. Eight children were believed to have died.
Botero, charged with managing the Andean country’s fight against crime gangs, Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia dissidents and the still-active National Liberation Army, has held his post since the start of President Ivan Duque’s administration in August 2018.(Reuters)
