From very early in the morning, the Mayor’s Office of Santa Marta and the Government of Magdalena convened a PMU to take action in response to the announcements of a civic strike in the Troncal del Caribe corridor, which concerns the rural area of the District.
The mayor of Santa Marta, Carlos Pinedo Cuello, stated that it was necessary to guarantee that the cessation of activities was a free and voluntary decision of the residents of this area, and not a product of extortion and pressure from armed groups.
Consequently, strong security schemes have been put in place in the Troncal, to the extent that units of the National Army were available.
Despite this, the community has denounced the circulation of several audios attributed to the so-called ‘General Staff’ of the Conquering Self-Defense Forces of the Sierra, through which the population and the commercial sector are ordered to immediately cease activities from from this Wednesday and until further notice.
As heard in the recordings, merchants who open their businesses will be declared a “military objective.”
Additionally, it has been known that fractions of the same ACSN have had logistics available to promote the participation of peasant and indigenous communities in the ‘peaceful march for peace’, through which the armed group manages to put even more pressure on the beginning of peace dialogues between its structure and the National Government.
The objective of the self-defense group is to achieve a space in the ‘Total Peace’ program, and achieve the legal, social and political benefits promised by the Petro government.
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