ELN guerrillas patrolling in Chocó.Ivan Valencia (Bloomberg) department in 2017
The ceasefire agreed with the ELN guerrillas, announced by the government on June 9 and due to start on August 3, has encountered an obstacle that casts doubt on its implementation. Through a recording obtained by EL PAÍS, the armed group announced that it will carry out an armed attack or a series of military actions in the San Juan region of Chocó department, which includes 11 communities and is home to more than 5,600 people According to the Ombudsman’s Office, five more were arrested as a result of another uprising by the ELN themselves in June.
In the recording, the voice of a man can be heard identifying himself as a member of Omar Gómez’s Western Front and assuring that “paramilitaries of the Clan del Golfo” were responsible for the death of a civilian in Sipí, another town in the region. . She adds that the residents of the area are “restricted in their free mobility” and accuses the state forces of joint actions with paramilitary groups.
“These events that have occurred in the San Juan region and throughout the Chocó department are not new. There is constant joint action between the state’s armed forces and the Clan del Golfo paramilitaries. “These paramilitary groups invade the area they protect, seize paramilitary bases and launch attacks against the civilian population, resulting in forced displacement and the killing of residents, leaders and community leaders,” the Tone adds.
The man also points to the ceasefire, which is the most significant step forward so far in negotiations between government officials and the ELN taking place in Havana, Cuba. As agreed, offensive operations will be phased out from July 6 until they reach full strength on August 3 and will last for 180 days. “We see the beginning of the ceasefire agreed with the national government in serious jeopardy (…); We also hold the (Defence) Minister Iván Velásquez Gómez and the military commanders in the Chocó department, Óscar Leónel Murillo Díaz and Héctor Alfonso Candelario, responsible for all these actions against the civilian population that violate international humanitarian law,” he said.
The guerrilla therefore declares an armed attack “throughout the San Juan region” and calls on “all residents and transporters not to move in the area while this order is in force”. This guerrilla front had already expressed its opposition to the ongoing negotiations between the ELN and the government. “We do not see this peace process with good eyes and we have more questions and uncertainties every day,” reads a document circulated on social networks.
The army has confirmed that clashes between illegal groups have erupted in the past few hours near Doidó, a hamlet belonging to Istmina’s jurisdiction, and that the deceased is 57-year-old José Florencio Hurtado , who was treated by uniformed officers who arrived at the scene. His underage son was injured in the right leg. However, there is still no official statement on the armed attack.
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The ELN’s decision to launch an armed strike coincides with its 59th anniversary. The group was formed on July 4, 1964 in the mountains of Santander department and has been an active player in the Colombian armed conflict ever since. Figures compiled by the Truth Commission credit these guerrillas with responsibility for 4% of the killings (17,725) committed during the conflict between 1985 and 2018.
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