Nóvita is one of the five municipalities affected by the lockdown caused by the ELN armed strike. Photo: Google Maps
The five days of truce that the ELN gave to the authorities in Chocó to supply food and medicine to the more than 50,000 people confined will not be enough. Not because they don’t want to, it’s because they can’t.
“We do not have the infrastructure or the resources needed to reach the communities. “There are many people who no longer have food. We need help from the National Government, from business owners. Help us with non-perishable food, with medicines. There are many people who are suffering,” asked the mayor of Istmina, Jaison Mosquera Sánchez.
According to the president, with this, This is the sixth time that the guerrilla forces them into confinement or causes displacement. which must be taken care of with the little public treasury of the people, which has the municipality on the verge of budgetary collapse.
“We have a president who has dedicated himself to trying to solve the problems of other countries. I invite him to help us solve the problems of Chocó,” he added.
To deal with the emergency, the mayor of the municipality of Nóvita, Alberto Rivas, was forced to go to the World Food Program with whom, next Tuesday, August 20 —at the limit of the time granted by the ELN—, They will enter confined communities to provide humanitarian aid and health services.
“The only thing I feel is concern and at the same time helplessness. We have been living this situation for many years and the truth is that we feel forgotten by the State,” said Rivas.
A woman and two babies dead
The restrictions imposed by the ELN armed strike have so far left three dead, including two babies.
The first case occurred in the San Cristóbal de Istmina sector where A 16-month-old girl, severely malnourished, died without being able to be transferred to receive medical attention because his family was unable to leave their home to go to the urban center.
The second case occurred in the municipality of Litoral de San Juan where A pregnant woman and her baby lost their lives. This was because there was no fuel in the town to take her to the health center.
In addition, many of those Communities are already suffering from food and medicine shortages, which could exacerbate the humanitarian crisis.
Given the delicate situation, the elected bishop of the Diocese of Quibdó, Wiston Mosquera Moreno, strongly rejected the armed strike and the deaths it has caused.
“I want to express my voice of protest against this armed strike that the ELN has declared in the Litoral region of San Juan, which is now causing so many people to be confined and, what is worse, lives to be lost,” said the bishop.
ATTENTION ✅ | Fr. Wiston Mosquera Moreno, Bishop Elect of @DiocesisQuibdorejects the ELN armed strike in Chocó. He calls for communities to be removed from the conflict 💬 “People should not have to die (…) No one can take our freedom away from us,” says the pastor 👇🏽. pic.twitter.com/WUR4YmqIXH
— Colombian Episcopal Conference (@episcopadocol) August 16, 2024
For its part, the National Army announced that it has already begun operations by installing command centers in each of the urban areas of the municipalities of Nóvita, Istmina, Medio San Juan, Sipí and Litoral del San Juan, which are the most affected by this indefinite armed strike.
Besides, They deployed a gigantic operation that included the mobilization of 5,000 troops and several helicopters with which they planned to bomb strategic sites taken by ELN and, in this way, regain control of the territory that was This guerrilla group and the Gulf Clan are fighting over the issue, which is ultimately the main reason for this illegal blockade.
2024-08-17 00:17:33
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