An investigation into footage circulating on social media sites showing armored soldiers, without insignia or names, threatening villagers in the north of the country is expected to be carried out by the country’s military Colombia.
The event in question was characterized by the country’s government as “extremely serious”.
In these images, reproduced by most of the media, a masked soldier pulls a pistol, cocks it and points it threateningly at a mother holding a baby. Another menacingly points his automatic rifle at a group of villagers, among whom are children crying in terror and their parents hugging them to calm them down.
“Do you think it’s okay to threaten me with a gun when I have my child in my arms? Your data!says an exasperated mother, as about twenty civilians argue with the soldiers, who wear no unit insignia, wear masks, black long-sleeved shirts under their accoutrements and holsters, and camouflage pants – garb reminiscent of guerrilla organizations, especially former FARC dissidents.
“What happened in Tieralta, in the province of Córdoba, is extremely serious and requires the adoption of drastic decisions,” Defense Minister Ivan Velasquez commented via X (the former Twitter).
“There will be zero tolerance for behavior that hurts not only communities but our armed forces themselves,” he added, implicitly but clearly acknowledging that the men depicted in the video are members of the military.
“Committee of Inquiry” to be sent to gather evidence on “possible use of violence against the civilian population”
In a statement, the armed forces said that they would send an “investigation committee” to the area to gather information about the “possible use of violence against him civilian population”.
Members of “the Hunin battalion (…) of the seventh brigade” are involved in the incident, explained the head of the land army, General Elder Giraldo, as reported by the Athens News Agency.
According to Orlando Triana, a local official who spoke to AFP, the soldiers pretended to be members of a group of former FARC dissidents who reject the 2016 peace deal.
“We thought that the security forces would protect the civilian population, but we are shocked,” the incident “leaves a bitter taste in our mouths.”
“It is very serious because in addition to the threats and intimidation, community leaders also report that there has been sexual abuse of an indigenous person,” said the People’s Advocate, Carlos Camargo. “The authorities must clarify this situation and guarantee the safety of the population,” he added.
Various armed groups operate in the region, where coca crops are known to be located: FARC dissidents, the ELN, drug traffickers, above all far-right former paramilitaries of the Clan del Golfo.
“The return of paramilitary action and land theft would be the worst mistake of the security forces. This will not be able to pass as long as this government is in power”, stressed the social democratic president Gustavo Petros through X, demanding that the army “publicly present” the findings of its investigation.
During Colombia’s endless civil war, which has lasted more than half a century, countless massacres of civilians and other crimes have been committed – including by the military, especially in the context of the scandal known as falsos positivos (‘false positives’). no. results). For years, military personnel executed civilians and then presented them as insurgents killed in battle to secure promotions, licenses and other privileges.
Source: News Beast
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