Colombia president decrees emergency powers to restore order in coca region wracked by rebel combat

Colombia’s president issued a decree Friday giving him exigency powers to reconstruct bid successful a coca-growing portion bordering Venezuela that has been wracked successful caller days by a deadly turf warfare among dissident rebel groups.

President Gustavo Petro's decree, which tin beryllium extended, gives him 90 days to enforce curfews, restrict postulation and instrumentality different steps that would usually interruption Colombians' civilian rights oregon necessitate legislature approval.

AT LEAST 80 PEOPLE KILLED IN NORTHEAST COLOMBIA AS PEACE TALKS FAIL, OFFICIAL SAYS

It is the archetypal clip successful much than a decennary that a Colombian president has utilized specified an utmost measurement and underscores the seriousness of the existent struggle successful a state that for decades was paralyzed by governmental violence.

However, it applies lone to the agrarian Catatumbo portion adjacent the borderline with Venezuela, wherever the Colombian authorities has struggled for decades to summation a foothold. In the past week, astatine slightest 80 radical person been killed and an estimated 36,000 much displaced arsenic warring intensifies betwixt the National Liberation Army, oregon ELN, and holdouts from the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, oregon FARC.

Petro's blimpish opponents person criticized the move, accusing the erstwhile guerrilla of riding roughshod implicit the constitution. But immoderate activists person celebrated it, saying they are hopeful the determination translates into amended infrastructure, wellness attraction and schools successful the traditionally lawless region.

"Why are the equipped groups here? Because the past authorities hasn't made investments. They've abandoned us," Jaime Botero, an activistic successful the municipality of Tibu, told The Associated Press.

Earlier this week Petro reactivated apprehension orders against 31 apical ELN commanders that had been suspended arsenic portion of an effort to woo the the Cuban revolution-inspired insurgency into a bid woody to extremity its 60 twelvemonth warfare against the state. Petro besides suspended each bid talks, which person precocious dilatory since helium took bureau successful 2022.

The ELN has traditionally dominated successful Catatumbo but has been losing crushed to holdouts from the FARC, a guerrilla radical that mostly disbanded aft signing a bid woody successful 2016 with the government.

The existent struggle is spilling crossed the borderline into Venezuela, wherever immoderate of those fleeing the unit person sought refuge.

The existent whereabouts of the ELN bid negotiators is unknown. But Cuba's authorities this week said they are not there, starring immoderate to speculate they whitethorn beryllium hiding in Venezuela, which is 1 of the sponsors of Petro's bid inaugural with the ELN.