The municipality of Aguas Blancas, in the north of Salta, called for bids to build a barbed wire wall in the area of the border crossing with Bolivia. The measure promoted by the Ministry of National Security is part of the “Plan Güemes” to strengthen the borders of northern Argentina and was adopted after a tour that the minister made in the area in December. Patricia Bullrich and the governor of Salta Gustavo Saenz. The government of the neighboring country filed a complaint. “Border issues must be addressed through bilateral dialogue mechanisms established between States to find coordinated solutions to common issues,” said the Bolivian Foreign Ministry.
Through resolution 17/2025 A, which was published this Monday in the Official Gazette of Salta, the municipality of Aguas Blancas called for bids to build the border fence on the Bermejo River. According to the details, it will be similar to that of the soccer fields and will go from the Bus Terminal of the Argentine city to the offices of the National Directorate of Migration, where hundreds of people from both countries enter and leave daily. The national government, it was clarified, will be responsible for the cost of the work called “Execution of perimeter wiring Customs Aguas Blancas Salta.” According to the tender, a 200-meter barbed wire fence that will have two or three gates will be installed on the border between the city of Aguas Blancas, in our country, and Bermejo (Bolivia).
According Virginia CornejoNational Director of Surveillance and Border Control of the Ministry of National Security, in statements to the press, the objective of raising this wire fence is to “combat federal crimes on the northern border of Salta, with the focus on in the departments of Oran and Aguas Blancas”. Since December, a reinforcement of troops from different federal forces has been deployed in the area.
Reaction
After the Government’s measure was announced The Bolivian Foreign Ministry reacted with a statement that was also posted on social network . And he warned that “any unilateral measure can affect good neighborliness and peaceful coexistence between brother peoples.” “The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Plurinational State of Bolivia will request information on this issue through diplomatic channels to undertake the corresponding actions. Bolivia will continue to support constructive dialogue as the way to resolve issues of common interest,” the release.
On the other hand, the Bolivian Minister of Justice, Cesar Silesdescribed the decision as a violation of the principles of peaceful coexistence and a possible contravention of international treaties. “We consider that the mandate of the president of Argentina is a violation of the most basic principles of peaceful coexistence at the international level. This would go against international treaties,” he declared. And he warned that he also requested that organizations such as the United Nations and the Organization of American States (OAS) speak out on the matter. “Both the United Nations and the Organizations of American States should recommend these determinations, we hope that it is only an announcement and not something real. We hope that the president of Argentina can reflect,” he said.
Provincial endorsement
In the midst of the controversy, Governor Sáenz supported the decision to raise the wire wall of 200 meters, on an extension of the border with Bolivia of 742 kilometers, between Salta and Jujuy, with a greater presence on Salta soil. “We will build a fence within the urban ejido, between the Bus Terminal and the Immigration Office, to ensure regulatory compliance, protect legal entry routes and offer a safer environment for everyone,” he explained. “This effective border control reduces the risk of incidents and contributes to the coordination of security forces, who will be able to monitor movements and respond promptly to possible risk situations,” the provincial president of Salta also added.
At the height of the public debate over the construction of the fence, the Ministry of National Security also spoke about its construction, which it described as “a key decision to reinforce the existing wall – repeatedly violated by drug trafficking to enter cocaine – with the construction of a 200 meter fence”. “This measure reinforces the successful controls implemented since the beginning of the Plan and eliminates the bypass that allowed evasion of the operations of the National Gendarmerie.” The statement was broadcast on X.
“Narcofrontier”
The auditor of the municipality of Aguas Blancas, Adrian Zigaranappointed in October by Sáenz because former mayor Carlos Martínez is detained for the investigation of a murder, also defended the fence decision in several interviews. “I have to go further than talking about the fence. Say that from my point of view the narco-border had been moved within Argentina, where there were normal scenes of hitmen,” he said. “The situation was getting out of hand and videos appeared of people calling themselves bosses, people with long weapons and balaclavas. We have already dismissed a judge from the area, prosecutors, police officers and even volunteer firefighters,” he added.
Zigarán argued that in that scenario, Sáenz’s initiative arose, which Bullrich and the president supported. Javier Milei. “With the fence, the gendarmes will be removed and they will be put to prevent people from evading immigration control and leaving under the Terminal to a private house, where they are charged to enter and leave the country,” he remarked. “This fence, which is going to be within the urban part, is going to help people go through migrations,” he concluded.
Source: Ambito
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