Defense Minister Outlines Military Plan
Colombia's new defense minister, Pedro Sánchez, vowed to retake areas lost to rebel forces that have driven thousands of people from their homes this year.
Speaking to national troops, Sánchez said the country needed to increase national sovereignty and defend citizens. He signaled a change in military strategy, implying a more aggressive approach to fighting rebel forces.
"We can no longer let our soldiers and police officers be spat on, attacked, and have their throats slit like they were inanimate objects," Sánchez said.
Current Security Crisis and Increased Violence
The remarks came after a recent attack in which 28 policemen and a soldier were taken hostage by civilians in Cauca province when clashes broke out with the FARC-EMC rebel army. The hostages were freed on Sunday.
Sánchez, a retired air force general, assumed the defense minister role in late February amid Colombia’s worst security crisis in a decade.
In January, over 36,000 residents of the Catatumbo region were displaced after a wave of attacks by the National Liberation Army (ELN), resulting in approximately 80 deaths. These attacks led President Gustavo Petro to suspend peace talks with the ELN, which had begun in late 2022.
Challenges to the 'Total Peace' Strategy
President Petro's "total peace" strategy has sought to negotiate peace with several armed groups. Nevertheless, though some ceasefires have been reached, they have not led to sustained stability.
Experts say that rebel groups such as the ELN and FARC-EMC have used ceasefires to recruit combatants and consolidate control over far-flung areas, where they extort companies and control drug-trafficking corridors.
Our president has been extremely generous in looking for peace," Sánchez declared. "But that authentic generosity has been disavowed by those who have kept applying violence against our citizens."
Long-standing Conflict and Attempts to Stem Violence
Colombia's 2016 peace agreement with the FARC witnessed more than 13,000 combatants lay down their arms. Smaller criminal groups have, however, filled the vacuum since then, fueling illicit mining and drug trade.
President Petro recently condemned the ELN leadership for putting profit ahead of revolutionary principles. In an effort to stem violence in the Catatumbo area, Petro's government will provide economic incentives to farmers to substitute coca plants with legal crops.
Sánchez's Background and New Role
Sánchez is Colombia's first retired military officer to become defense minister in three decades, breaking with the tradition of naming civilians to the post.
The 52-year-old became publicly recognized in 2023 for commanding a successful rescue mission of four indigenous children who were left alive when a plane crashed in the Amazon rainforest. Sánchez retired from the military in February after being appointed by President Petro to command the defense ministry.
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