The ELN confronts the FARC dissidents in Arauca. / AFP / LUIS ROBAYO / TO GO WITH AFP STORY
Photo: AFP – LUIS ROBAYO
Authorities from Puerto Rondón, Arauquita and Tame (Arauca) raised alerts following the restrictions imposed by armed groups in several villages of those municipalities in the department of Arauca, Colombia.
According to a statement from the representatives of those three municipalities, ELN armed clashes and FARC dissidents prevent access to the villages of Las Galaxias, Lejanías, El Cesar, Cuiloto 2 in Arauquita; Brisas de Cuiloto, Las Nubes, Siberia 1, Siberia 2, Santo Domingo, La Esperanza, Gran Bucare, El Temblador, Los Libertadores, El Progreso, Lucitania, Caño Limón, Caño Camame, Canoas, Carraos, La Holland in Tame; and El Progreso, La Esmeralda, El Paisaje in Puerto Rondón, as well as the Normandia path shared by Puerto Rondón and Arauquita.
They warn that municipal merchants – among them milkmen -, school routes and private vehicles cannot circulate in new ways. Situation that clearly interrupts the normal functioning of the aforementioned communities.
The Personerías called for criminal groups to cease their armed actions and respect the lives of the people who live in this area of the country. It is highlighted that these actions not only affect the local economy, but also endanger the lives of residents by hindering access to food and vital services.
The commander of the Military Forces, General Helder Giraldo, assured that “we are not going to allow this confinement to take place, this shortage of supplies, that these illegal actors have illegal control of the territory, that they do not allow the movement of individuals, or let it be under an organ. So what refers to that triangle of Tame, Arauquita and Puerto Rondón, there we have to make a more effective presence to control the territory.”
Situation in Cauca
The Association of Indigenous Councils of Northern Cauca, reported that clashes have been taking place since midday this Wednesday, June 5, in the municipalities of Caloto and Toribío, between the Dagoberto Ramos Front of the dissidents of Iván Mordisco and the Army, in which nearly two thousand people are confined to their homes. “The shots and explosions occur in the vicinity of the homes, putting the lives of the civilian population in serious danger,” said the Association.
The indigenous authorities reported the confinement of about 536 families in the El Damián village and 413 in La María. Announcing that there is a high risk to the integrity of the families in the area. A 31-year-old indigenous woman, according to the communities’ report, was injured as a result of the clashes. The woman was transferred to a hospital in the region.
Situation in Caquetá
Reports from the public force indicate that at least eight guerrillas died in combat between the Carolina Ramírez structure (which is part of the FARC dissidents of Iván Mordisco) and the Border Commandos of Iván Márquez. The clashes between these criminal groups have to do with the dispute to control drug trafficking routes and extortion of merchants and ranchers.
As a result of this situation, the Ombudsman’s Office reported around 500 families confined to the Palmeiras village, in San José del Fragua Caquetá. “The communities reported that they have not been able to leave their homes for fear of the intensification of armed actions and the presence of lifeless bodies on rural roads of members, according to their complaint, who were from these illegal armed groups,” he states. the outgoing Ombudsman, Carlos Camargo Assis.
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