BOGOTA.- The president of Colombia, the right-wing Abelardo de la Espriella, ordered this Thursday the temporary militarization of the main city on the border with Venezuela due to the wave of violence and murders at the hands of illegal groups.
“I have ordered the Minister of Defense and the leadership of our Public Force to immediately carry out the militarization of Cúcuta, as a temporary measure to reinforce security, protect the population and confront the criminal structures that threaten the tranquility of this border region,” the president announced on the social network X.
He added that the police and the army will be deployed in Cúcuta, capital of Norte de Santander, but without specifying the number of uniformed personnel.
In recent days, Cúcuta was the scene of the murder of a mayoral candidate and an attack with explosives that left four police officers injured in the city where guerrillas and other criminal groups operate, according to the local government.
“Cúcuta and Norte de Santander are not alone! We will not give up a single centimeter of our homeland to the terrorism”stressed De La Espriella.
The president also maintained that the issue is not about deploying uniformed personnel to show presence, “but about recovering control and delivering results.”
He announced that, as of November 3, the measure will be accompanied by the deployment of the Sparta campaign and the Urban Security Operational Block (BOSUR). He said that the mission is clear: “Recover territorial control, dismantle criminal structures, hit their finances and bring those responsible for the violence to justice.”
Abelardo De La Espriella also reported that, next week, he will go to Cúcuta to verify compliance with these orders, evaluate operational progress and demand effective coordination between our Military Forces, the National Police and the territorial authorities.
Second city
Cúcuta is the second city militarized by De la Espriella since he came to office on August 7. The first was the coastal and touristy Santa Marta, after a wave of attacks on businesses and vehicles unleashed by a drug trafficking gang in September.
The border region with Venezuela is a bastion of guerrilla groups such as the National Liberation Army (ELN) and dissidents of the extinct FARC guerrillafaced by the lucrative income from drug trafficking and illegal mining.
In recent days, a string of attacks and clashes between armed groups have also been recorded in Catatumbo, a region plagued by drug crops about 70 km from Cúcuta.
This Thursday, an attack with an explosive drone attributed to the ELN left three civilians injured, according to the local government. These devices are increasingly used by illegal groups and their hum generates terror among the population, usually caught in the crossfire.
In the midst of the worst crisis of violence in the last decade in Colombia, the right-wing president promotes an offensive using bombings against guerrilla camps that have already left dozens dead, including at least eight minors.
