In the early hours of Saturday, October 12, almost 1,400 members of the Military Forces entered the town of El Plateado, in the rural area of Argentina, Cauca, following a direct order from President Gustavo Petro.
The objective: to regain control of the territory that has been the base of FARC dissidents for many years, known as ‘Carlos Patiño’, led by the alias Kevin, and previously linked to the alias Iván Mordisco.
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Although the Ministry of Defense reiterated that the public force in El Plateado “is to protect the civilian population from the criminal acts of illegal armed groups,” the situation is sensitive. Through social networks, Videos have been circulated showing residents celebrating the withdrawal of two Army tanks, showing the public’s fear of reprisals from dissidents..
According to sources from the Military Forces, alias Kevin, he would force the inhabitants of El Plateado to surround the Army troops and demand that they withdraw from the territory. In addition, it was reported that the dissidents used a drone to launch an explosive at the troops, although this information is still being verified by the authorities.
The Ministry of Defense reported that members of the dissidents fled the township in the face of “forced aggression by the Public Force”. However, the situation on the ground has turned out to be much more complicated. “
For his part, General Luis Emilio Cardozo, commander of the Army in Popayán, who personally directs Operation Perseus, asked the population do not allow yourself to be exploited by armed groups.
The objective of Operation Perseus is to neutralize the illegal activities of these armed groups, which have subjected the population to crimes such as forced recruitment and the use of explosives. In addition, the Special Forces and the Colombian Air Force are focused on dismantling the means of mobility and illegal economies of these organizations. The operation is deployed with the highest capabilities of the forces, including aircraft, artillery, armored vehicles and surveillance systems.
The pressure placed on the community of El Plateado is not an isolated case. There are precedents in other Colombian regions, such as Cauca, Nariño and Norte de Santander, where armed groups have used civilians as a barrier against the actions of public forces. In El Plateado, intelligence units have documented how dissidents hide in the homes of the population to avoid being hit by military operations, further complicating the State’s response.
The attack in Cauca is part of a larger effort to dismantle the power structures of the dissidents, especially after the alias Iván Mordisco left the peace process. Since March 2024, this group has intensified its attacks in this region, against civilians and against the Public Forcewhich led the Government to exclude them from ‘Complete Peace’.
The situation in the town of El Plateado is complicated, as it is in the middle of a dispute between the three main actors: FARC dissidents, who want to maintain their power in the region; the Second Marquetalia, which seeks to acquire land; and now, the Military Forces, who have launched an attack to wipe out all illegal groups from the area. The situation is critical and control of the disputed territory is critical to the armed groups’ strategies.
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