Colombian President Gustavo Petro blamed armed groups in the country for the escalation of violence in Catatumbo.
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00:00Colombian President Gustavo Petro blamed armed groups in the country for the
00:04escalation of violence in Catatumbo. The president affirmed that the offensive of
00:08the armed groups has caused the death of dozens of civilians including minors for
00:13the control of illicit plants grown in Catatumbo. Petro informed that his
00:18government earmarked an additional 500 million dollars for the region's security,
00:23social services, roads and the substitution of coca crops. He also reiterated his
00:28administration's commitment to transform the Catatumbo region ravaged
00:31by decades of violence, with concrete actions focused on the urgent needs of
00:35the population to live in peace.
00:49The guns are back in Catatumbo. Different actors but basically two. The 33rd front
00:57of the FARC that says they are dissidents today and the ELN that has
01:01two versions. The ELN that has been in Catatumbo for a long time, for decades,
01:07and the ELN that arrived unexpectedly. The ELN that arrived unexpectedly is the
01:14cause of the commotion. No one expected it. We knew there was a
01:20conflict and the national government and this has to be clearly recorded in the
01:26history of the Catatumbo had a negotiating table with the 33rd front
01:30and a negotiating table with the ELN. It is not that we turned our back to peace
01:36process or that I suddenly put on a military uniform and took a rifle like
01:43when I was a young man. We were discussing peace.