Four Colombian children who miraculously survived 40 days in the Amazon rainforest after a plane crash were escaping an armed group that recruits children, according to their father. Manuel Ranoque informed The New York Times that he and his wife, fearing forced recruitment, decided their children needed to flee the region.

Ranoque expressed his deep fear of his children being recruited, noting the group targets children as young as two years old. The siblings, aged 1, 4, 9, and 13, were traveling with their mother, the pilot, and another adult when their Cessna plane crashed on May 1. The adults perished in the crash, their bodies discovered 16 days later.

The pilot had reported engine failure before the crash. The children, led by 13-year-old Lesly Jacobombaire Mucutuy, survived by consuming jungle fruits, seeds, and cassava flour they salvaged from the plane wreckage. They also sheltered in tree trunks for protection from the elements and wildlife.

While Ranoque revealed the children's flight from danger, other family members have initiated a custody battle. Astrid Cáceres, head of the Colombian Institute of Family Welfare, confirmed a caseworker has been assigned due to the custody dispute between Ranoque and the maternal grandparents.

The maternal grandfather, Narciso Mucutuy, accused Ranoque of domestic violence against his daughter, Magdalena Mucuty. Ranoque admitted to verbal altercations and minimal physical conflict. He has been denied access to the older children while they receive medical treatment, expected to last at least two weeks.