Internal conflicts, punishments and constant pressures would be weakening the ranks of this residual organized armed group.
Within the framework of military operations aimed at the protection of the inhabitants and the weakening of the illegal armed structures that commit crimes in the south of the country, troops of the Special Energy and Road Battalion No. 19, of the Twelfth Brigade of Colombian National Army, reported the surrender to justice of an alleged member of a residual organized armed group (GAO-r) in the rural area of the department of Caquetá.
The action was reported in the village of El Arenoso, of the municipality of Puerto Rico, given that, through information provided by human source, it was known about the activity of an individual who apparently had escaped from a residual structure that commits crimes in the department of Cauca and who would be hidden in this sector.
After receiving the information, the troops made a review and control operation in the area, and found the individual, who expressed his intention to voluntarily surrender to justice. According to his own testimony, he was allegedly part of the GAO-r Carlos Patiño structure, specifically the Fardey Díaz group, an organization that commits crimes in different areas of the southwest of the country.
According to the account, this individual's decision to leave the illegal organization was motivated by constant mistreatment, internal pressures, and the strict conditions on members of these criminal structures. He in the same way said that internal conflicts, distrust among their members and power disputes occur within these groups that generate an atmosphere of permanent tension, even endangering the those who are part of these organizations.
The Twelfth Brigade of the Sixth Division of Colombian National Army has shown that these illegal armed structures frequently resort to intimidation, threats and punishments to maintain control over their members, forcing them to remain in the organization and participate in illegal activities, a situation that over time generates discontent and internal fractures within these groups.
Faced with this scenario, Colombian National Army reiterates that those who decide to leave these illegal organizations can access the institutional routes provided by the national Government for their comprehensive assistance. Through these programs, people who surrender to justice receive state accompaniment, guidance, psychosocial support and opportunities to start a process of reintegration into civilian life with their families.
The Twelfth Brigade will continue to carry out sustained military operations in the department of Caquetá with the purpose of neutralizing the acts of the residual organized armed groups, while inviting those who still remain in these structures to make the decision to lay down their weapons and take advantage of the surrender and reintegration routes provided by the Colombian State, thus building a new life project within the legality.
Source: Sixth Division Press
