Crowd tried to enter military base in El Tarra, Norte de Santander

The National Army announced, this Sunday, March 20, that in the morning of last Saturday morning in the municipality of El Tarra, Norte de Santander, “around two hundred people apparently of Venezuelan nationality in a tumultuary and violent way tried to transfer security and enter the La Esperanza Military Base.”

According to the communiqué issued by the military authority, the personnel of the military base were carrying out “activities aimed at providing security and protection to the inhabitants of that municipality and its surrounding areas”.

“According to reports, criminal involvement in these violent events alias Jhon Mechas and alias Pedro, leaders of the criminal structure of the Gao-R E33 Residual Organized Armed Group, who manipulated, instrumentalized, used weapons and some inhabitants as shields, turning this act into sedition ”, said the Army.

He also assured that the GAO aims to “attack the security forces and inhabitants of the region, through the manufacture and use of improvised explosive devices”. In this regard, he assured that the events presented on March 19 left a non-commissioned officer and two soldiers with injuries to the face and lower extremities.

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Likewise, he said that three civilians were injured and are being treated at the hospital in Ocaña. In addition, another died, where, “according to the first reports, they indicate that an improvised explosive device had been activated, circumstances that are the subject of investigation by the authorities”.

“Those who participated in these criminal actions attacked the military base with the launch of explosive devices and rifle fire. Likewise, improvised explosive devices located near the base were deactivated, actions that violate human rights and violate the norms of international humanitarian law, conduct that will be reported to the authorities,” said the Army.

He also announced that during the roasonada, countless material damage was recorded in the vicinity of the military base. Likewise, he reported that people tried to enter violently and left behind evidence of the consumption of alcoholic beverages, “all this in contravention and also in breach of the curfew decreed by the municipal mayor, through Decree No. 024 of March 19 of this year, which stipulated it from March 19 to 22 of March”.

In this way, the institution assured that in the course of the events, “there was no use of lethal weapons, in addition, the reaction and counterattack plans were activated, in order to take security devices in the premises, according to the provisions of our military doctrine and regulations that regulate the procedures in these violent scenarios”.

The military authority also emphasized in its communication that according to data from local authorities, there are more than 6000 people of foreign nationality in the municipality and approximately 1000 of them would be illegally occupying premises in the municipality.

Faced with the facts, the mayor of El Tarra, Yair Díaz Peñaranda, rejected “any act of violence that prevents the effective enjoyment of the rights and tranquility of the inhabitants.” In this regard, the municipal government appealed to the regional and national authorities, “with the aim of seeking a humanitarian solution in the face of the appeal made by some sectors of the community”.

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