Colombian authorities said they planned to investigate alleged sexual abuse of children by United States contractors and military staff. The claims, published in February by historian Renan Vega in a report on talks between the government and leftist FARC guerrillas in Cuba, claimed that 53 minors were sexually abused by U.S. troops in the center of the South American country. The Office of the Ombudsman, who monitors human rights in Colombia, rejected the accusations. Tolemaida, one of the largest military bases in Colombia, is located near Melgar and Girardot. U.S. troops and military contractors have access to the base. Last month, the U.S. Embassy in Bogota insisted it "takes very seriously any allegation of sexual misconduct by one of its officials."