In compliance with the commitments made on October 9 in a plenary session of Congress in Tuluá to reinforce and intensify operations against organized and residual armed groups, the Minister of Defense, Diego Molano, highlighted the importance of neutralizing Yair Bermúdez, alias Hugo, the main ringleader of the Adán Izquierdo structure of the Farc dissidents.
“With this heavy blow we are improving security for merchants, ranchers, farmers, avocados growers and part of the transport sector that were being hit by the extortions made by this criminal structure of the Farc dissidents that began to carried out its criminal operation earlier this year in Valle del Cauca and Quindío,” said Minister Molano.
Together with the President of the Republic, Iván Duque Márquez, the authorities explained that thanks to Operation Ninfa, a joint and interagency work conducted by the Military Forces and the Attorney General's Office, this ringleader, one of the most wanted in Colombia, has seen the end of more than 18 years of criminal life.
“This criminal was an objective of honor to our Military Forces, the neutralization of this GAO ratifies the message that says the one who does it, will pay for it and that we will continue to work intensely throughout the territory, dismantling these units of the Farc dissidents,” President Duque said.
Alias Hugo, is accused of perpetrating criminal operations against Humanitarian Demining Battalion No.6, the attack, last July, on a group of the Land Restitution Unit, which left eight officers injured and a patrolman killed, the massacre of five young people in the sector of Cerro Rico, in the municipality of Buga, executed on 25 January 2021, and in the same way the coordination of the kidnapping of the sugar businessman Jaime Mejía Azcárate who, under pressure of the troops, was released in a mountainous area of Tuluá.
“He is in the same way responsible for the murder, last September, of second lieutenant Cristian Calderón, in Sevilla, Valle del Cauca, while he was carrying out social and community development work,” said the head of the Defense ministry.
Minister says that this is a strategic blow, given that alias Hugo was the main responsible for forced displacements of peasants in the municipalities of Tuluá, Sevilla and Bugalagrande in the department of Valle.
For his part, General Luis Fernando Navarro, general commander of the Military Forces, said that thanks to the intelligence work, it was determined that alias Hugo was the main threat of Valle del Cauca, “we proceeded to carried out a great operations planning with the Army's Third Brigade, the Pacific Naval Force, the Air Combat Command No.7 of the Air Force and the Police of the department of Valle, determining this man was one of the most wanted in the department and in the country”.
The minister thanked the joint work conducted by the National Army, the Police with the support of the Air Force and the Colombian Navy, to end more than 18 years of crime.
“The campaign continues to conduct operations against the Symbols of Evil, where thanks to the collaboration of the citizens, who provide information, it is possible to hit those who seek to strike the tranquility and security of Colombians,” concluded the head of the ministry of Defense.
- With the success of Operation Ninfa, more than 18 years of Hugo's criminality ends.
- This result is a step forward to consolidate the security and tranquility especially of farmers and avocado growers in Valle del Cauca and Quindío.
Source: Defence Sector Communications Office – Ministry of National Defence
