President Petro was in Popayán during the launch of the ‘Cauca Mission’, the social and security strategy to counter violence in that Department. Given the possibility of inconveniences in the contracting processes for works in conflict zones, he put on the table declaring a “state of exception.”
“The one who wants to keep the benefits of the public works is not the contractor, it is the armed gang,” said the president. “That is the real situation and we have to work on it. Would a state of exception warrant? They already knocked me down one when the children of La Guajira didn’t have water, but let’s discuss it,” he continued. He also said that the works in those areas should be assumed directly by the State.
Context: in 2023, Petro declared a social and economic emergency in La Guajira, to address the situation of poverty and hunger in the region, which gave him exceptional power to issue decrees. However, the Constitutional Court overturned the decision, because it considered that the government did not exhaust ordinary mechanisms to seek solutions.
What happens in Cauca? The conflict between the Public Force and the dissidents of the Western Bloc of the Central General Staff of the FARC is concentrated there. Unlike other regions of the country, there is no ceasefire, so there are constant clashes and attacks.
To understand what is happening in Cauca I recommend this chapter of our podcast.
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