On Thursday, Cúcuta, Colombia, near the border with Venezuela, was militatrized following the homicide of local mayoral candidate Miguel Castellanos Serrano and the explosion of a device that left six injured in less than a week.
President Abelardo de la Espriella pointed out that the implemented measure will be temporary, emphasizing that this action forms part of a strategy to mitigate recent outbreaks of violence and insecurity, despite the violence being homegrown according to analysts.
“These measures will allow us to intensify operations against terrorism, pursue those responsible for the violence, strike criminal finances, and dismantle organizations that seek to subjugate the population,” the far-right Colombian president said to local media.
During his speech, De la Espriella explained that the deployment is subject to the fulfillment of specific pacification objectives and announced that he will visit Cúcuta next week to evaluate progress.
Since taking office, De la Espriella has revived the aggressive counterinsurgency strategy pursued by his far-right predecessors and mentors, Iván Duque and Álvaro Uribe. Experts have blamed these policies for bloodshed that, rather than addressing the roots of Colombia’s violence, only intensified it.
According to the information, the army will increase its presence in the city in coordination with the police “to strengthen territorial control, protect citizens, and confront” the illegal armed groups present in the area.
For his part, Cúcuta Mayor Jorge Enrique Acevedo announced that 350 more uniformed officers will arrive next week. “We have intervened in several places; perhaps one of the most complicated was Colinas del Tunal, where it was difficult for authorities to enter; we now have control of the area,” he told local media.
Mayor Acevedo estimated that, in 15 days, the results of the militarization will be evaluated to make decisions about its continuity. “Cúcuta cannot be militarized all the time. We hope that with these actions we can have good results, that it will no longer be necessary to maintain this measure and we will be able to normalize everything,” he stated.
Cúcuta becomes the second urban center intervened in under this modality after operations began in Santa Marta a few weeks ago.
(Últimas Noticias) by Juan Marichal Guerra with Orinoco Tribune content
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/JRE/SF
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