Government asks FARC dissidents to comply with ceasefire

The Colombian Defense Minister Iván Velásquezwarned the dissidents of the extinct FARC this Saturday that “either all its structures abide by the agreed bilateral cessation or the Government will not be able to continue supporting that cessation” after the recent actions of one of the dissident structures.

On December 31, the Colombian president, Gustavo Petroannounced a bilateral ceasefire with four armed groups operating in the country, including the Central Staff of the dissidents and with the Second Marquetalia, also dissident of the extinct FARC.

Velásquez led a Security Council in Cali to evaluate the security situation in the department of Valle el Cauca and where the actions of the Jaime Martínez structure of the dissidences, whose actions are “a repeated breach of the cessation” despite the fact that they are part of the Central General Staff, indicated the person in charge of the Defense portfolio.

“It continues to generate acts of violence against the population, it continues to carry out extortion activities”detailed the minister about the actions in Valle del Cauca.

In addition, he alerted the Central General Staff of the dissidences: “either all its structures abide by the agreed bilateral cessation or the Government will not be able to continue supporting that cessation”.

“Under the pretext of being just a part of the Central General Staff, it cannot be tolerated that they continue to carry out activities, as has already been evidenced,” Velásquez added.

The Government hasstressed that a bilateral ceasefire is not a cease in the activity of the Armed Forces, it is not a suspension in the actions that in compliance with the constitution and the law have to carry out military forces and the National Police in the repression of crime”warned the minister.

The Security Council held this Saturday in Cali was motivated by recent events in the municipality of Jamundí (southwest), including the detonation of an explosive device in the vicinity of a shopping center on Wednesday, which led local authorities to claim the presence of the Government to take action.

The public order situation in Jamundí is attributed to the presence of the Jaime Martínez structure of the FARC.

“President Gustavo Petro and Minister Iván Velásquez, new attack in Jamundí. In this city of 200,000 inhabitants, 20 minutes from Cali, 3 terrorist attacks have occurred in the last two months. The situation deserves your attention, reaction and the display of force public”, Congressman Duvalier Sánchez asked through his social networks.