Security update
October 17 to 18: a bridge bombed in northern Cauca, and a narco wanted in the US captured in Cúcuta
Here's what happened since the last update, and what each one means.
1SignificantA bridge bombed in Santander de Quilichao, Cauca
Semana reported at 6:17 PM on Saturday, October 17 that explosive devices hit a bridge over a river in rural Santander de Quilichao, in northern Cauca. Semana names it the La Teta bridge; its headline and the official report also call it La Balsa. Part of the structure was destroyed, and more than 200 rural families were cut off. No one was hurt. The attack is preliminarily blamed on the Jaime Martínez front, part of Iván Mordisco's FARC dissidents. Hours earlier, the Army's 29th Brigade recovered a stolen tanker truck carrying more than 11,000 gallons of fuel, which the Army says was taken by the same group. The Defense Ministry called the attack "a cowardly and outrageous act that seeks to terrorize the communities."
What it meansMore than 200 families can't get out or bring anything in until the bridge is repaired. The Defense Ministry hasn't said how bad the damage is or when people will be able to cross again.
2SignificantA narco wanted in the US captured in Cúcuta
El Tiempo reported on October 17 that the police's investigative unit (Dijín), the Attorney General's Office (Fiscalía) and the DEA captured Daneiro Correa Vega, alias "El Señor," in Cúcuta. A US federal court in the Virgin Islands wants him for drug trafficking and conspiracy, and he's being held for extradition. He's accused of coordinating up to 3 tons of cocaine a month to the United States from his own labs in Sardinata and Bucarasica, in Norte de Santander. The Dijín says he paid the ELN's Juan Fernando Porras front for "protection" of his labs, and worked with the Sierra Nevada Conquistadores (ACSN) to move loads to the Caribbean coast. The capture date wasn't given.
What it meansIf the Dijín is right, the ELN earns money from cocaine labs it doesn't own, by charging the traffickers for protection.
3NotableA garbage truck burned in Popayán
On the afternoon of Saturday, October 17, armed men stopped a garbage truck of the company Urbaser in La Yunga, a rural area in southwest Popayán, on the road to the Los Picachos landfill. They forced the driver out, painted ELN graffiti on the truck and set it on fire. No one was hurt. Semana says first reports point to the ELN. Pablo Arango, Urbaser's director, said: "This makes it very hard to provide the service." He said the attacks come back when the security forces leave, and that the prosecutor's investigation has made "no progress." The company's base was hit with an explosive on August 31.
What it meansThe armed groups are hitting a city's basic services. The company says the attacks come back as soon as the troops leave.
4NotableA Frenchman captured in the Barranquilla operation
Infobae reported that police captured a French citizen, Traore Mamaodou, alias "Traore," on Friday, October 16 in the Soledad 2000 neighborhood, during Operation Blindaje 360 in the Barranquilla area. He's charged with drug trafficking and is accused of belonging to the Los Costeños gang, under a zone chief known as "El Quesero." He was arrested before on December 1, 2022 on drug charges. The authorities say he got poor people to carry drugs to Europe.
What it means for usThe gangs on the coast use foreigners too, and foreigners caught in these operations are arrested and charged like anyone else.
5NotableA clash with the Segunda Marquetalia in Vichada
El Tiempo reported on October 17 that soldiers of the Army's 28th Brigade were shot at as they approached a site near Nueva Antioquia, in rural La Primavera, Vichada. They seized a rifle, a shotgun, 326 rounds, 6 magazines, explosives, phones and notebooks from presumed members of Substructure 53 Édison Romaña of the Segunda Marquetalia. No dead, wounded or captured were reported. The date of the clash wasn't given.
What it meansThe Segunda Marquetalia is still armed and still shooting at the Army in the eastern plains.
On social media
His most-seen post since the last update was about press freedom. At 6:52 PM on October 17, at the opening of El Tiempo's new headquarters, he wrote: "Press freedom is a fundamental pillar of democracy and an irrevocable guarantee of our Republic." By about 7:20 AM on October 18 it had 45,300 views, 3,000 likes and 173 replies. The first replies shown were critical. One (5 likes): "If I'm not wrong, in the two months he's been in they already took out an RCN cartoonist (Vladdo)... and ended a radio program on Blu because it bothered the president, I don't know how free the press is." That's the reply's claim, not checked. Another (9 likes) posted a cartoon of a microphone as a gun: "Weapon of mass disinformation." His 5:48 PM post on the Army operation in Puerto Rico, Meta, against Calarcá's dissidents (1 killed, 3 captured, among them alias "Junior Rojas," whom he calls the front's second-in-command) had 53,000 views, 2,600 likes and 94 replies, few of them with likes. A critic (1 like): "...thinks that by showing bags (no one knows whether there's really a criminal in there or not) everyone will believe he fights crime." A supporter (1 like): "All the glory and honor to God Almighty for his mercy on Colombia, for giving him to us as president." The new theme: press freedom. As of about 7:20 AM, he hadn't posted about the Santander de Quilichao bridge, the Popayán truck or the arrest of "El Señor." This comes from the top replies on X, not a poll.
I support most of this. But it doesn't go far enough. These groups use any space they're given to reset and grow. They need to be crushed, not contained.