06/17/2024
This Monday’s agenda Minister of Defense, Iván Velásquez was reserved for the Congress of the Republic. He was summoned to respond before the plenary session of the Senate and the House of Representatives; In both, he had to be held accountable for the public order situation in the country and the escalation of the conflict in southwestern Colombia.
The day began with a debate on political control in the Senate plenary. received it senator, Paloma Valencia, who gave him the extensive list of the opposition’s concerns regarding the current panorama, portfolio management, the figures against the Government and the ineffectiveness in the face of the expansion of illegal armed groups, some of which have been strengthened thanks to the ceasefire orders.
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Among the parliamentarian’s arguments, to expose the minister’s ineffectiveness, The figures stand out regarding the eradication of coca crops, which according to the senator, since the signing of the peace with the extinct FARCtriggered homicides and violence in the department of Cauca, today mired in a deep security crisis.
“Since the agreement in Havana, illicit crops in Cauca have skyrocketed and with that the homicide rate curve has skyrocketed. Both curves go the same and generate violence. After the agreement the crops grew and homicide increased. 53 Caucanos murdered last year for every 100 thousand inhabitants in the departmentit is one of the highest figures in Colombia,” said the senator.
He also detailed, the increase in illicit crops, the failure of the fight against drugs, the weakening of the Public Force, the increase in the murder of soldiers and the increase in harassment by the Central General Staff and the ELN, mainly.
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Late at night and without the presence of the minister, the president of the plenary announced the postponement of debate in the absence of a quorum. So, It was rescheduled for this Tuesday starting at 10:00 am
Later, around 8:30 p.m. started in the House of Representatives the aforementioned motion of censure against Minister Velásquez. Initially, the representative for the department of Valle de Cauca, Christian Munir, emphasized the growth of guerrilla groups and their rapid expansion to territories where they were not previously present.
“The harassment, the car bombs, the motorcycle bombs, the bursts that our police receive, are situations that we no longer saw and you, minister, have been there since the beginning of this Government. You are responsible for the National Development Plan. “You are responsible,” said the congressman.
One by one, the representatives of the different regions of the country explained to the official the situation in their departments, which was equally serious in each one. They all agree on the increase in crimes derived from war, extortion, homicides, kidnappings, displacement and others. The motion was cited by the Cambio Radical bench.
