The inhabitants of several municipalities of AraucaAmong them, Tame, Fortul, Saravena and Arauquita, lived a New Year’s weekend of terror.
From the early hours of Sunday until this Monday there were strong confrontations, which were led by the Farc dissidents and the guerrilla The n, who have a war in the region for control of drug trafficking routes in our country, as well as in Venezuela.
(What’s more: Alert in three municipalities of Arauca for clashes between illegals)
According to preliminary versions, the confrontations would have started due to the death of alias Mazamorra, head of the ELn, but the Deputy Minister of Defense, Jairo García, said this Monday followingnoon that at that time there was no certainty that this would be the case.
(Read also: The unusual version of the ELN on serious violence in Arauca )
These combats, in addition to confining thousands of people, who even expressed to the authorities their desire to leave the region in search of a safe place, left at least 23 deaths.
The message is clear: we are going to confront them, as we have been doing so far, with total force
in the territory
This was confirmed on Monday followingnoon by the governor in charge of Arauca, Alejandro Miguel Navas, who asserted that 23 dead bodies had been found so far that belonged to men from illegal groups.
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This version was ratified by the same president Ivan duque, who commissioned the Minister of Defense, Diego molano, travel to the region and head a new security council.
From there, Molano assured that they had already identified 15 of the dead, of which several have a record of illegally carrying weapons and one is alias Flaco Fredy, leader of the FARC dissidents, who had two arrest warrants. In addition, he said that everything started in the state of Hurry, In Venezuela.
Molano also asserted that the confrontation was between the ELN, allied with the ‘Second Marquetalia’, and the tenth and 28 fronts of the FARC dissidents.
According to Duque, “the complex situation is that many of these confrontations take place practically on the edge, on the edge of the border” with Venezuela, where, according to Duque, “the two groups have had protection and protection from the regime. from Nicolás Maduro “.
(Keep reading: What is known regarding the 23 dead found in Arauca)
Until this Monday night there had been no mention of civilian casualties. The governor pointed out that it is necessary to establish who murdered them and why, “we do not have any disappeared, the bodies are in the morgue and that is a reality. The other reality is that there is no massive displacement, “said the official.
On the other hand, the president in charge commented that there was “no impact on the passage through the highways, there is mobility, the uniformed men are doing their job.” But, according to information provided by the Ombudsman’s Office, six families were “forcibly” displaced in the Saravena municipality, as well as another six in Tame.
“In the follow-up to early warning 029 of 2019, in addition to homicides, we warn of the risk of threats and illegal detentions, recruitment of children and adolescents and forced displacement in the municipalities that are on the border: Tame, Fortul, Saravena and Arauquita ”, They assured from the entity.
Faced with this wave of violence that has historically hit the department, the inhabitants of Arauca went out yesterday to march to demand that the violent people stop their harassment once morest the civilian population, as well as to demand more state presence from the authorities.
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“We call on human rights organizations to make a presence in the area. The people are afraid and we do not want to experience this violence once more, we are honest and peasant people ”, said one of the people during the mobilization that took place in Botalón, rural area of Tame.
This is the same cry of the Catholic Church, which has been accompanying the community.
“We ask the civil authorities to verify the facts and strive to protect the life and integrity of the population (…). We ask the international community present in the territory to provide the necessary support to the civilian population and its organizational structures, ”said Bishop Jaime Cristóbal Abril.
These confrontations are not new and the community has been crying out for months for more security guarantees.
We ask the civil authorities to verify the facts and strive to protect the life and integrity of the population
According to analysts, the war being waged by the Eln and the dissidents has also been joined in recent times by the presence of illegal groups from Venezuela.
There have even been attacks once morest the Public Force, such as the one that happened in September 2021, when the ELN attacked a military unit with gunfire and explosives, leaving five soldiers dead and six wounded.
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Actions Announced Following Safety Tips
At the end of a security council headed by Duque from Cartagena, where the president had an agenda today, the first actions to guarantee security in Arauca were announced.
The head of state ordered two battalions to move into the territory.
“We will be strengthening intelligence and counterintelligence in the department of Arauca and we will also be expanding the capacity for helicopter and airborne supervision; we will be using drone teams, “said the president.
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And, emphatically, he added: “The message is clear: we are going to confront them, as we have been doing until now, with total force in the territory, and we will also be denouncing the collusion, the protection that the dictatorial regime of Nicolás has provided them. I mature to those criminal structures ”.
The unusual version of the Eln
In a statement, the ELN guerrilla gave its version of the serious acts of violence that have occurred in the department of Arauca in recent days.
According to that guerrilla, they were “forced to defend the territories” from an alleged offensive by the FARC dissidents under the command of alias Arturo Paz.(Here are the details of the ELn’s response)
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