Conflict in Catatumbo worsens: homicides, mines and displacements persist while mayors ask for a Christmas truce for peace.
Eleven months after the escalation of war unleashed by the armed confrontation between the National Liberation Army (ELN) and the FARC dissidents The public order situation in the Catatumbo region remains critical.
The persistence of homicides, forced displacements and attacks with explosives demonstrates the complexity of the conflict. A recent humanitarian commission confirmed the serious crisis that dozens of people are experiencing, especially in the rural areas of Tibú and El Tarra, trapped in the middle of the war.
The Conflict Intensifies
The actions that generate the greatest alarm among residents are the installation of anti-personnel mines, attacks with explosives using drones and the increase in kidnapping for ransom. The residents are constantly exposed and in the middle of clashes between illegal armed groups.
Faced with this panorama, communities, authorities and social sectors have made a peremptory call to the armed actors to cease hostilities and allow farmers to move through the area normally.
More news:Aerocivil sanctions 5 controllers for allowing young people access to the control tower
Mayors Cry for Peace
The mayors of the region are in complete expectation of the response of the armed groups to the request to declare a ‘Christmas truce’ and guarantee humanitarian minimums for the communities.
Richard Claro, mayor of Tibú, emphasized that the region requires guarantees of security and tranquility at this time of year. For him, accepting the truce would be a clear example of the desire for peace.
“We want to spend Christmas in peace; what we have asked is that these groups do not continue to affect the community and that, above all, the actions that have caused inconvenience be reduced. It is necessary that there be a stable and lasting peace in the territories,” Claro expressed.
The leader of Tibú added that this ceasefire scenario should be the starting point to reactivate the negotiation tables between the armed groups and the national government. “There have been eleven months of intense conflict, where Tibú has been the epicenter of many of the public order events… That is why it is necessary that the message reaches them and that at Christmas the long-awaited peace is given,” he concluded.
For his part, Eyder Robles Ortiz, mayor of El Tarra, took advantage of the president’s recent visit Gustavo Petro to the region to demand that the security of the communities be guaranteed.
“The war continues, our farmers are in the middle of the bullets, in Orú and Filogringo, the violence has not stopped. We appreciate that you have invested in the schools and the university of Catatumbo, but security is necessary,” said Robles Ortíz.
Meanwhile, the humanitarian commission that tours the area remains awaiting a response to the formal ceasefire proposal presented to the armed groups during their last visit to the region last November.
Source: Integrated Information System
