The president of Colombia, Gustavo Petro, ordered this Thursday not to resume the ceasefire with the Central General Staff (EMC)the main dissident of the FARC, nor establish a dialogue after the escalation of violence in the southwest of the country and as long as the armed group does not “dismantle the illicit economies“.
This was reported by the Minister of Defense, Ivan Velasquezthen participate in a Security Council held in Popayancapital of the department of Cauca, who also offered a reward of 500 million pesos (about 130,000 dollars) for information that allows the capture of leaders of the faction Jaime Martinez of the EMC and the increase in troops in Cauca.
The Colombian head of state also ordered to affect the finances of this illegal group both in drug trafficking like in the illegal minery to weaken the organization, the Presidency indicated in a statement.
Additionally, with the coordination of the National Planning Department, the Department of Social Prosperity and ministries such as Agriculture, Health, Transportation and Education, work sessions will be undertaken with the mayors of Cauca to develop infrastructure projects which include health posts, schools and roads.
This is to promote initiatives that allow replacing more than 15,000 hectares coca fields in the Micay canyon and the municipality of Algeria.
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Visit to Morales
Petro traveled, together with Velásquez and the military and police leadership, to the municipality of Moralesin Cauca, where he visited the police station attacked this week by the EMC and highlighted the work of the 17 members of the institution who repelled the attack.
On Monday, an EMC faction harassed the Morales police station for about two hours and people were killed in the attacks. four people: two police officers and two prisoners who were at the institution’s station.
During the day, six people were also injured by the detonation of a motorcycle-bomb at 6:15 local time (11:15 GMT) near a hotel where uniformed personnel who are “strengthening the security of the municipality” of Jamundiin the department of Valle del Cauca.
on Wednesday another soldier died in clashes between the Army and the EMC in the municipality of Patia.
The attacks of this dissident have intensified in that region of the country after last March the Government suspended the bilateral ceasefire in the departments of Nariño, Valle del Cauca and Cauca due to the violence of that armed group against indigenous people and against the public force.
In response, the Army has increased its offensive operations in recent months in Cauca, which has become one of the pitfalls of the peace negotiations between the Government and the EMC.
The dialogue with the armed group has been bogged down since the EMC was divided into two and the Government left dissidents from the southwest of the country, who are the most violent groups and those that commit the most attacks, out of the negotiating table.
