That entity added that there are also threats against the civilian population, which has generated forced displacement in several locations.
The Office of the Ombudsman of Colombia warned this Tuesday about the risk of recruitment of minors by the ELN and FARC dissidents in Arauca, a department on the border with Venezuela and the scene of violent disputes between these two guerrillas that leave 24 dead at the beginning of the year.
“There is a high risk of forced recruitment of minors in Saravena and Arauquita by the ELN and dissidents from the FARC. What’s more, The displacement of communities to the urban centers of the municipalities in which there are confrontations has been increasing“Said the Ombudsman on Twitter.
The clashes between the dissidents of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) and the National Liberation Army (ELN) for territorial control mainly affect the towns of Tame, Fortul, Saravena and Arauquita, on whose roads 24 people were murdered in the first two days of the year.
1/10????#ContextArauca????????From January 2 from @DefensoryCol we learned of the armed confrontation between the ELN and dissident factions of the FARC. The events are presented in the rural areas of Tame, Saravena, Arauquita, Fortul and Cubara. We are making a permanent presence on the ground.
– Ombudsman’s Office (@DefensoriaCol) January 4, 2022
“In monitoring the situation, the registry of 24 homicides has been established,” said the Ombudsman’s Office, explaining that the bodies were transferred to morgues in Saravena, Fortul, Tame and Cubará, the latter, a town in the department of Boyacá.
That entity added that there are also “threats against the civilian population”, which “It has generated forced displacement, risks of massive displacement and possible confinement of communities”.
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The agency documented that there are 12 displaced families, six of them to Tame and another six in Saravena, to which must be added another 40 families who, according to the Tame Personería, have reached this population.
People have sought refuge in the homes of relatives and close friends and “consequently, the risk that this number will increase due to all the risk scenarios persists,” said the Ombudsman.
Colombian government measures
The wave of violence that shakes Arauca made the Government order the dispatch of 600 soldiers to “exercise greater territorial control”.
Defense Minister Diego Molano explained that the military will reach rural villages such as Puerto Nariño, Aguachica, Botalón and La Paz, to provide guarantees of protection and tranquility to the civilian population, especially in these areas where there are alerts of forced displacement. .
He also announced that it rose to 300 million pesos (about $ 74,000 today) the reward for information that allows the capture of aliases “Carlos” or “Pájaro”, and aliases “Pescado”, of whom he said are “leaders of the criminal structures that allegedly committed the violent events of recent days.”
The rewards for Omar Pardo Galeano, alias “Antonio Medina”, and Jorge Eliécer Jiménez Martínez, alias “Arturo” or “Jerónimo”, head of the 10th and 28th fronts of the FARC dissidents, remain at 500 million pesos ( about $ 123,000).
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“It is they who commit crimes, those who have a criminal mind to carry out this type of action that has affected public order and tranquility,” said Minister Molano.
The head of the Defense portfolio also said that as a long-term measure, military facilities will be built in the Aguachica and La Esperanza villages, in order to function as bases for territorial control points and the development of operations.
Referring to the dead, Molano said that 15 bodies were identified and that four of them were Venezuelan citizens, two of them with records of illegal possession of weapons. (I)
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