Human Right Watch denounces alliances between Venezuelan armed forces and the Eln

Human Rights Watch, HRW, noted in its latest report that the Venezuelan armed forces are direct accomplices of the Eln in its operations on the border it shares with Colombia, where it seeks to defeat other armed groups to take control of these territories and drug trafficking routes. The conclusions of the document came out of an investigation conducted through testimonies of people displaced by violence in the department of Arauca and in the Venezuelan state of Apure.

The document points out that the armed conflict between FARC and Eln dissidents began to intensify since January 1 and has generated multiple human rights violations such as: forced disappearance, murders, displacement and other crimes.

“Members of the Venezuelan security forces, who have been implicated in human rights violations that have led to international investigations into alleged crimes against humanity, have conducted joint operations with members of the Eln and have been complicit in their abuses,” the NGO document reads, which it also called for the necessary measures to be taken as communities were the ones that were being affected by the violence that had been exacerbated in recent years.

This, as Minister Diego Molano mentioned to El Tiempo, confirms the hypothesis that the Colombian Government has had for some time: “The Human Rights Watch report confirms what the National Government has affirmed: in Venezuela, in the state of Apure, there is a collusion between the Bolivarian military forces and the Eln, associated with the Second Marquetalia, to confront FARC dissidents over criminal route systems,” noted Iván Duque's government official.

However, despite the fact that the claims of HRW and the Colombian Government about alliances at the border coincide, the NGO report also criticized the measures taken by Colombia in recent years, because despite the fact that armed groups have declined, measures to care for victim populations have been inefficient.

“Colombian authorities must urgently assess the humanitarian needs of those who fled Apure, and create and implement a humanitarian response plan to assist them. In Vichada they should consider declaring a 'state of public calamity', which under Colombian legislation would allow the government to allocate greater resources to provide assistance,” says HRW.

Faced with this, Molano acknowledged that there are still difficulties due to the fact that the conflict has brought complexities that have had to be addressed immediately, but he highlighted the work done by the Colombian armed forces.

“It is clear that there are still threats, originating from the other side of Venezuela, but that our Public Force has come, with this neutralization plan, operating and contributing to the search for better security conditions in Arauca,” the minister told the Colombian newspaper.

Finally, the HRW report estimates that since the beginning of 2022, fighting between FARC and Eln dissidents has displaced 3,860 people in Arauca and 3,300 Venezuelans have crossed the border into Colombia. In addition, 103 murders were reported between January and February as a result of violence between armed groups.

For its part, the Venezuelan government has always made clear its distance from the organization that it has repeatedly accused of manufacturing false evidence.

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