Venezuela | Confrontation between the military and guerrillas on the border – Venezuela – International

The confrontation between the Venezuelan military and a group of the FARC dissidents, which began on Sunday, continued on Tuesday night, in the area of La Victoria, from Apure state, bordering Colombia.

As reported to this newspaper by the coordinator of the NGO Fundaredes, Juan Francisco García, around 8 pm local time, the guerrillas began a battalion attack of the Army of La Victoria.

(Also read: After fighting on the border, two Venezuelan soldiers die).

Within the framework, however, the area ran out of power, with which Fundaredes lost contact with its informants in the area, so that, at the time of publication of this note, they were unaware of the evolution of these events.

Audios that have circulated through social networks, however, give an account of the situation of anguish that the inhabitants of the area are experiencing. They report having heard at least three bombs and even recorded bursts of gunfire and other detonations.

“They are attacking the battalion. I’m here scared. I don’t know what is happening on that side “, you hear a man say, between tears, a relative in one of those audios.

(Of interest: Why would the Venezuelan Army have faced dissidents?).

Earlier, however, another audio had circulated through social networks, which is attributed to one of the guerrillas in which he is heard saying that they were willing to stop, withdraw their units and suspend hostile activities, if a high-level verification was made and, who claims are responsible for the situation, consequently assumed what they had done.

“We were not the ones who started this confrontation. They were the appetites and interests of some generals and colonels who have been seeking extortion, blackmail and personal gain, not only for us as a revolutionary force, but also for the civilian population in general. “says the man, who also warns that they were waiting to continue, if necessary, defending “their lives, the revolution and Bolivarian thought.”

“To those who are willing to continue (…) in this offensive, we are willing to fight, we are willing to give our lives”, he alerted.

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Local NGOs and the opposition leadership have ensured that the attack would respond to an order from the leaders of the dissidents of the Farc, alias Iván Márquez and Jesús Santrich, against a group that deviates from their line.

It has come to attention that the The n, which they assure also has a presence in the area.

“Now the regime uses our soldiers to try to solve an internal problem among the guerrillas themselves. While some soldiers die, suffer, fighting against a group of guerrillas, other Venezuelan soldiers continue to cohabit with other groups of guerrillas by consent or by instructions of the regime or acting in consequence to the pacts, alliances or agreements that they have signed at a certain moment., denounced the elected deputy in 2015, Eliezer Sirit, during the session of this Tuesday of the opposition National Assembly.

According to a report offered by the Venezuelan Defense Ministry, on Monday, two soldiers had died in the clashes on Sunday. The strong militarization of health centers in the area and surrounding areas, however, has prevented organizations with a local presence from knowing if there are more deaths and injuries.

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In a statement dated March 23, the guerrilla group speaks of the murder of “several civilians”, who have not yet identified themselves, in the context of these events.

“This action is a serious violation of International Humanitarian Law, as we insist that the attacks are against the civilian population”they say.

In the document, the guerrillas assure that there are no casualties or injuries among their troops.

Until the morning of this Tuesday, Deputy Karim Vera managed the number of at least 20 FANB troops injured on Sunday, and who were admitted to the military hospital of San Cristóbal, in the neighboring state of Táchira.

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The confrontation, which is now three days old, has forced some 3,000 people, according to figures from the Human Rights Watch organization, to cross the Arauca River to the Colombian municipality of Arauquita, where they have settled among shelters and family homes.

Meanwhile, the Colombian Foreign Ministry, through its Twitter account, published a series of messages on Tuesday night in which it referred to these recent clashes. “Foreign Ministry, on behalf of the National Government, expresses its concern about the serious humanitarian effects on civil society in the Apure state of VEN, caused by armed confrontations that are taking place in that region bordering the Colombian department of Arauca“.

And he added: “The Ministry of Foreign Relations calls on the international community to unite in assistance in the face of this humanitarian crisis, in which more than 3,100 people have had to be forcibly displaced to find protection in Colombia.”

Venezuela fears an escalation of this conflict.

ANDREINA ITRIAGO
CARACAS