The measure was made official through a 19 page decree signed by the entire cabinet, declaring that the state extension will be 90 days. Furthermore, it is specified that 11 of the municipalities those it applies to belong to the Catacumbo area.
Likewise, it is detailed that the decision is due to the violent confrontations between the ELN and a FARC dissident, both in the aforementioned sectors and in Cucuta and two from the department of Cesar that receive displaced people.
What the Colombian government says
The Colombian government considers that “an extraordinary disturbance of public order occurs in the Catatumbo region, derived from armed confrontations, threats, massive forced displacementsimpacts on the exercise of the fundamental rights of the civil population, security breach and damage to protected property and the environment”.
“The ELN has unpredictably escalated to a magnitude that exceeds the ordinary capacity of the State,” the regulations continue.
Then he points out: “The ELN has increased its attacks and hostilities against the civilian population and, especially, against the signatories of the final peace agreement in the Catatumbo region, which is promoted and financed, among others, with the rresources from illegal activities and economies in this region.”
This is an exceptional measure that, according to the Colombian Constitutionthe president can decree “in the event of a serious disturbance of public order that imminently threatens institutional stability, the security of the State, or citizen coexistence, and that cannot be averted through the use of the ordinary powers of the authorities.” of Police”.
The escalation of violence
In the decree itself the declaration is justified by highlighting the fact that already 41 bodies were receiveds, although the authorities estimate between 60 and 80 dead due to violence, while others claim that it exceeds 100.
It also highlights that there are more than 36,000 displacedthat is to say 700 people daily between January 17 and 19 to Venezuelaand because 395 people removed from the area or extracted, among them 14 peace signatories and 17 of their relatives. On the other hand, the confinement of more than 7,000 people in Tibú, Teorama and San Calixto.
“Despite the recovery and pprotection of more than 500 threatened civilians of death by the ELN, there is still a indeterminate number of people hiddenconfined and that have not managed to be evacuated from the risk territory and there are not enough air means to meet this objective,” the decree stated.
Source: Ambito
