Recent Violence in Colombia Share This /

The following is an overview of recent violence in Colombia from November 21st to December 10th:

• November 21: President Juan Manuel Santos of Colombia reported that his country's security forces had "apparently" killed Benito Cabrera Cuevas, also known as Fabian Ramirez, a senior FARC commander. Colombian news sources report that Cuevas was killed in an early morning raid in the Meta department. Various personal items, including a computer, have been recovered.
• November 23: In Cauca, an attack by FARC rebels left three police officers dead and another one wounded. Alvaro Grijalba, a representative of the local government, stated that the government of Cauca "repudiates and rejects these acts of violence perpetrated by forces outside the law." Similarly, an ambush by FARC guerrillas near Vista Hermosa in Meta left three soldiers dead and another four wounded as they conducting a routine patrol throughout the area. Two of the soldiers' bodies were left filled with explosives. Local authorities have claimed that they have tightened security and increased security measures. Another ambush in the southern Department of Guaviare claimed the lives of four police officers who were working on eradicating local coca cultivations. Civilian news agency Noticias Nueva Colombia has warned that the FARC has released a statement which predicted an intense end of year in which rebels are readying themselves to strike the Colombian Military with force.
• November 27: Government sources reported that three civilian coca-eradicators were killed along with one soldier during a guerrilla attack near the town of Leiva in Nari?±o. Seven other soldiers, charged with protecting the civilian workers, were injured. In Puerto Asis, Putumayo, FARC forces reportedly opened fire on an occupied police vehicle, killing one policeman and one civilian.
• November 30: Colombian authorities have reported that FARC forces detonated a car bomb in a minivan in front of a police outpost in the village of Vergalarga, Huila. Only the minivan's driver is reported dead. President Santos has condemned the attack as an act of "cowardliness and despair."
• December 5: The Colombian Interior and Justice Ministry has reported that severe rains and a mudslide have left 197 people dead, 248 injured, 143 missing and approximately two million homeless. After meeting with local authorities, Colombian Ministers declared the affected areas disaster areas in hopes to gain access to more aid and rescue resources. In the United Nations, President Santos has called for international solidarity with the victims and has asked for help of the international community. Santos also thanked the nations and organizations that have already sent humanitarian and rescue assistance to the affected region.
• Through a speech at Fundación Corazon Verde, Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos reported that so far this year, 240 policemen have been killed. He assured his audience that police forces are improving their training and readiness.

This post was written by CIP intern Johannes Schmidt