In the midst of the tense public order situation in the southwest of the country, the National Liberation Army (ELN) is reportedly setting up illegal checkpoints in one of the most important road corridors in that region of the country.
Apparently, Members of the criminal structure, accused of having broken the ceasefire it had agreed with the national government, are reportedly ordering drivers traveling on the road that connects southern Cauca with northern Nariño to stop so that their vehicles can be inspected and they can be seized.
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As explained by the mayor of La Cruz, Nariño, Fabian Guerrero Mora, The same farmers who reside in the area were in charge of denouncing the situation. They even took some photos in which the members of the insurgent group can be seen checking a vehicle that was traveling on the road that connects the municipality with San Pablo, in the same department.
The leader was clear that the situation has generated concern in the region, one of the most affected by the armed conflict in recent months, which is why The competent authorities reported the problem to the ceasefire verification and monitoring committee.
“This illegal checkpoint, according to the community, was installed in the El Chical village, which is part of the rural area of the municipality of San Pablo, but it is an obligatory step to communicate with the south of Cauca,” Guerrero Mora told Blu Radio.
Although the images released by the peasants show that those who are carrying out these types of practices would be members of the National Liberation Army (ELN), The mayor indicated that he did not know what criminal structure these criminals were attached to.
“At this moment we really do not know which illegal organization they belong to or where they come from because in this area of northern Nariño and southern Cauca several rebel groups are present,” he indicated.
The leader added that “the community wants the parties in dialogue to have coherence and agreement with those principles that, regardless of the difficulties that may arise, respect the lives of the civilian population.”
Guerrero Mora asked the corresponding authorities to investigate what happened, as well as asked the armed groups that are present in the region to guarantee the free mobility of citizens.
The situation is known in the midst of the controversy that exists around the most recent accusations against the ELN for its alleged violation of the ceasefire. In fact, through a statement, the Government’s peace delegation at the Dialogue Table with the ELN emphasized the case of Anderson Hernández Villar, a 38-year-old police officer from Bucaramanga, who was found dead in Arauquita, Arauca.
“First of all, yesterday (June 25, 2024) it was learned that the deputy mayor of the National Police, Anderson Alberto Hernández Villar, was murdered and his body was found in the ‘Los Almendros’ area in Arauquita. The deputy mayor would have been kidnapped by the ELN in the Apure state of the Republic of Venezuela. (…) Our delegation expresses condolences to his family and the National Police,” stated the negotiating team of the Colombian State.
The notice He also noted that the Colombian Army rescued two minors who had been recruited by the ELN guerrilla during an operation against extortion and kidnapping in a rural area of the municipality of Labranzagrande, in the department of Boyacá.
