As Colombia’s conflict has intensified in recent years, armed groups have flooded social media like TikTok with videos aimed at getting new recruits – particularly young people. The FRANCE 24 Observers team investigated the inner workings of this new recruitment method.
Wads of cash, gold watches and attractive young women: this is what life inside Colombia's armed groups looks like, at least according to numerous TikTok posts. Some publications highlight the values these groups purportedly champion, such as “the defence of the people”, while others openly invite online users to join them. The goal is to attract new recruits, especially young ones, who constitute the platform's main audience.
These images were posted by TikTok accounts linked to Colombian guerrillas and paramilitary groups. The texts read: “Good kids study. Lazy ones make money” (left), and “The true revolutionary is the one who fights for his people and asks nothing in exchange” (right). © TikTok
Such posts have multiplied in recent years, spanning all of Colombia’s active armed groups – including dissidents of the former FARC guerrilla movement, the ELN (one of the country's main guerrilla groups), and the Clan del Golfo (the biggest paramilitary group). For these groups, recruiting new members is crucial, as the conflict has intensified over the last few years.
