Once again, the authorities of the municipality of El Copey, Cesar, warn about the presence of armed groups in the rural and urban areas of this jurisdiction, whose members are terrorizing the inhabitants and have even caused the displacement of many families who fear the criminal actions.
This situation keeps the community concerned, since intimidation actions have been taking place since last December. “It is not an assumption, it is a reality that armed groups such as the Clan del Golfo are operating mainly in the rural area of the municipality,” warned the CC
There are extortions against ranchers and merchants, many families have left their properties and that is unfortunate after having overcome the harshness of the armed conflict years ago. “I fear for the lives of the inhabitants of El Copey, the intervention of the public force and the national government is required to counteract these actions. We are at the mercy of crime, there are even people paying for a vaccine, there is widespread fear in rural and urban areas, ”he said.
For his part, the municipal representative, Rafael Fontalvo, said that members of the El Copey Victims’ Table have warned about the presence of at least 15 armed men in sectors such as Garupal and Corelca.
“They don’t identify themselves as members of a group, but they do make a presence. The displaced are community leaders from the area and one of them was part of the municipality’s Victims’ Table,” said the official.
Faced with this situation, and in response to the validity of the early warning issued by the Ombudsman of Cesar between 2021 and 2022, the Police have increased operations in the urban area and in the rural part, but the support of the Army is required. National and special groups to deal with this situation.
Regarding these complaints, Colonel Luis León, commander of the Police in Cesar, stated that patrols are increasing in the area to guarantee the safety of citizens. Intelligence work is being carried out together with the National Army to offer support even to the peasant sector.