ELN orders lockdown in western Colombia

Guerrilla organization ELN ordered a three-day lockdown in the Choco province amid clashes with paramilitary organization EGC along Colombia’s pacific coast.

The lockdown took force on Tuesday and will last until Thursday.

According to the ELN, the lockdown seeks to make the links between “the state, the military forces and mercenaries” of the EGC visible.

The complicity between the public forces and paramilitaries is evident, as we have reiterated on several occasions. The civilian population that suffers from this problem is aware of the reality.

ELN’s Western Front

The ELN announced the lockdown in response to the announced arrival of 340 soldiers to reinforce security in the region where the guerrillas and paramilitaries have been flighting for years.

Francisco Vidal, Choco’s interior secretary, told Caracol Radio that he feared that the lockdown will mainly affect people living in the six southernmost municipalities.

Choco Governor Nubia Carolina Cordoba urged the government of President Gustavo Petro to declare a state of exception, which would give authorities exceptional measures to address the humanitarian crisis caused by the illegal armed groups’ recurring violence.

We cannot invest in development because we must respond to the crisis with humanitarian aid, shelter, food… The community knows that planting an antipersonnel mine is done in minutes and the only demining is done by the army troops as they advance. The people know that near their farms, in the orchards, on the way to their homes or schools, they can find antipersonnel mines.

Governor Nubia Carolina Cordoba

Violence between the ELN and the EGC over the control to Choco emerged after the demobilization and disarmament of the FARC in 2017.

Choco’s Pacific coast is of major importance for drug trafficking. The inland municipalities are rich in precious metals like gold, which in that region is largely mined illegally and thus a major source of income for the illegal armed groups.