While they were moving along the Transversal del Libertador, a group of deputies from the Assembly of Cauca, led by its president, were detained by a checkpoint of the Farc dissidents.
The incident occurred when a commission from this corporation was traveling between the municipalities of Popayán and Inzá.
As reported by the president of the Assembly, Fabio López, armed men made them stop and get out of the vehicles in which they were traveling and took a van assigned to the corporation.
The dignitaries informed that the checkpoint was installed by the Farc dissidences, Dagoberto Ramos structure in the Gabriel López corregimiento.
López said that “those of us who were occupying it were ordered to get out of the truck, a vehicle owned by the departmental government delivered for the use of the Assembly of the department of Cauca. They took her away and told us absolutely nothing. They were people in uniform and heavily armed.”
Likewise, the president of the Cauca Assembly stated that the “Government must urgently review the security exercises with a public policy that is worthwhile for scenarios of violence such as the department of Cauca.”
He also asked “all the actors to respect the life, honor and dignity of the people and these assets of the public heritage.”
The President of the Corporation assured that he will file a complaint with the Attorney General’s Office regarding what happened.
Worry
On this fact, the representative to the Chamber for Cauca, Oscar Campo, stated that “we have seen violent acts weekly, a councilor in office, several indigenous community members have been assassinated, and in addition to attacking a church mission that, among others, one I would not have any hypothesis of why violent acts happen against a deacon and his companion. The concern is huge.”
The public order situation in Cauca has concerned the region’s authorities, who have asked the national government for greater security.
In addition to the threats against teachers in various municipalities of Cauca, denounced by Asoinca and the Department’s Health Secretariat, are added the attacks that members of the Catholic Church have been subjected to in recent weeks.
As will be recalled, at the beginning of this week a deacon and his assistant were victims of an attack in the municipality of Caldono.
In addition, social and indigenous leaders of this region have been requesting greater measures from the national government.
Indepaz precisely recalled that this week two indigenous leaders were assassinated in Caloto and Toribío.
The organization reported that with the two leaders there are already 85 social leaders assassinated in the country so far in 2023.
For his part, the Secretary of the Government of Cauca, Diego Aguilar, mentioned that “this occurs within the framework of the armed conflict that is taking place, also in territories where there is a large presence of illegal economics and to that extent they have been working with the Government to implement strategies and policies that lead to a solution, to improve humanitarian conditions and seeking to overcome the structural causes of the conflict”.