The Venezuelan army captured 35 “terroristsLast weekend in southwestern Venezuela, an unstable area near Colombia, Attorney General Tarek William Saab assured Thursday, February 10. “A total of 35 members of these irregular groups (Colombians) were arrested during four operations in the state of Apure (bordering Colombia)said William Saab in a statement broadcast on state television.
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Since the end of 2021, the power of President Nicolas Maduro has used the term “Tancol” -Armed terrorist drug traffickers of Colombia- to refer to the irregular groups that operate along the 2,219 km of the Venezuelan-Colombian border, undermined by violence and smuggling. Those arrested are charged with, among other crimes, “terrorism, criminal association, arms trafficking and smuggling“, he continued.
Bogota, the Venezuelan opposition and human rights organizations denounce the presence in the area of dissidents from the disbanded guerrillas of the FARC (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia) and members of the ELN (National Liberation Army ), accusing Caracas of turning a blind eye or being complicit. What the power rigorously denies.
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The operational chief of the Venezuelan army, General Domingo Hernandez Larez, posted several photos on Twitter of military operations in Apure in recent days. “All Colombian terrorist groups, drug traffickers, whatever their name, will be expelled“, he said in one of his messages.
Apure was the scene in March 2021 of fighting between the Venezuelan army and Colombian armed groups, which left 16 dead in the ranks of the army, according to the official report which does not report enemy losses. Thousands of civilians had fled the area. Javier Tarazona, an NGO activist critical of Maduro, a specialist in the dossier, who had accused the government of links with FARC dissidents, was arrested in July, accused in particular of “terrorism“. Some 62”irregularhave been captured in Apure and two other border states, Tachira and Bolivar, since September 2021, according to William Saab.