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Lethal assault by insurgent dissidents takes place in Cauca, a southwestern area that has seen a surge in violence.
Six Colombian troopers have been killed in combating with insurgent dissidents within the violence-plagued southwestern area of Cauca, the nation’s military mentioned, as the federal government seeks to finish a decades-long battle.
Colombia’s army mentioned on Tuesday that the deaths occurred in a conflict with dissidents from the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), a left-wing insurgent group that signed a peace settlement with the federal government in 2016.
President Gustavo Petro, who’s pursuing a “complete peace” plan with the South American nation’s remaining armed teams, mentioned the troopers killed had been aged 18 to twenty. They confronted grenades, improvised explosive units and gunfire within the assault, based on the military.
“It was an infiltration operation” by one of many major dissident factions, Petro mentioned.
Three army personnel additionally had been killed by FARC dissidents over the weekend in the identical space, the place armed teams are concerned in drug trafficking and different illicit actions.
The dissidents, who rejected the peace deal between FARC and the federal government, mentioned in September that they had been keen to barter laying down their weapons.
Since Petro took workplace in August as Colombia’s first left-wing president, he and his aides have met with leaders of the 2 major factions of FARC dissidents with an eye fixed to establishing peace talks. The holdout fighters complete about 5,200, based on the Indepaz assume tank.
“To this point, we now have solely talked concerning the risk [of a ceasefire], nothing extra,” Petro mentioned on Tuesday, following a gathering with high-ranking members of Colombia’s safety forces.
Violence has surged in Colombia in recent times, particularly in elements of the nation that lie exterior authorities management.
Citing figures from the United Nations humanitarian affairs workplace (UN-OCHA), the Norwegian Refugee Council mentioned final month that greater than 2.6 million folks had their actions restricted to date this yr on account of persevering with violence throughout the nation.
As a part of Petro’s peace plan, Colombia just lately restarted negotiations with the Nationwide Liberation Military (ELN), the nation’s largest remaining insurgent group.
On the weekend, the president introduced that the talks, held in neighbouring Venezuela, had achieved a deal to permit the Embera Indigenous folks to return to their residence territories.
Members of the neighborhood had fled violence between drug gangs, outlawed right-wing armed teams and the ELN. Many have sought shelter within the capital, Bogota, the place they organised protests to demand safety, housing and jobs.
On Wednesday, Petro’s authorities additionally will start peacemaking efforts in Buenaventura, a Pacific port metropolis, the place about 1,600 armed youths are believed to be concerned in drug trafficking.
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