A military operation in Putumayoon March 28, has government institutions under its sights, after the death of the president of the Alto del Remanso Community Action Board, his wife, a minor under 16 years of age, a governor of the indigenous people and 7 other people .
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Different organizations, including the UN, have asked the National Army to clarify who the victims were and the development of the operation, since there are still questions about the management of the bodies and the validity of the intervention in Puerto Leguízamo, border area with Ecuador.
The authorities have said that it would be a “legitimate operation” against alias ‘Bruno’, a man from the FARC dissidents. Faced with the questions, President Iván Duque spoke.
The president said that the military acted in accordance with “the protocols for the use of force.” From New York, on the morning of Monday, April 11, Duque assured that the intervention was planned.
“It was an operation that had planning, had intelligence information, had precise information about the presence of leaders and members of terrorist cells and drug traffickers in that part of the territory. Then proceeded with clear information“, said the head of the Government.
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In turn, he assured that the Prosecutor’s Office, which is carrying out investigations on the subject, was aware of the information on the presence of “drug-trafficking terrorist cells.”
For its part, the Army has maintained that the 11 dead are FARC dissidents. However, in addition to the Ombudsman, there are complaints from the community and civil organizations about the death of people who were not related to illegal groups.
Along with this, other local media have found version inconsistencies of the authorities. For example, it remains unclear who started shooting first. The Army, in a document sent to the Attorney General’s Office and disclosed by Caracol Noticias, assures that the order to shoot was given once they identified a target.
This is how soldier Robinson Beleño, the only wounded member of the military, was hit. However, the uniformed man has another version. “The fight started, I advanced about 10 meters when I found myself face to face with a bandit dressed in civilian clothes, that’s why he hurt me, because I trusted he was a civilian, but he took out a rifle and hit me”, Beleño said and assured that he was saved because he covered himself.
Along with this, the residents have assured that the soldiers did not arrive in their uniform. Rather, they were dressed in black, blindfolded, and never identified themselves. Others affirm that the bodies of the dead were moved from place and wrapped in sheets.
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Civilian organizations, for their part, have declared that the operation, even with a clear objective, was disproportionate given the context in which they found themselves.
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