Colombian President Gustavo Petro on Monday unveiled recovery plans for the country's northeastern Catatumbo region, which has seen lingered conflicts for over one and half months since clashes between two anti-government armed groups broke out.
On Jan 16, the National Liberation Army (ELN) and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia clashed in the region neighboring Venezuela, vying for the control of illicit economies and drug trafficking routes. Seventy-one have been killed and over 50,000 displaced in the violence so far, according to the Office of the Attorney General of Colombia.
"The crisis in Catatumbo has deep roots. This region has long been forgotten by the state. Coca cultivation, cocaine production and trafficking are rampant here. The fighting [between the two armed groups] for these illegal economies is the cause of the crisis," said Nestor Osuna, former Colombian Justice Minister.
In a televised council of ministers on Monday, President Petro announced the government's measures for "Plan Catatumbo," an initiative aimed at eradicating 25,000 hectares of coca leaf, promoting legal coca crops by developing market access, and advancing the peace process in the region, ColombiaOne reported.
"Plan Catatumbo," within the framework of "state internal commotion" which was declared by President Petro on Jan 20, also features infrastructure projects to improve the connectivity of the region to the rest of Colombia, in a bid to ensure farmers' the market access.
President Petro addressed the funding of projects under the Internal Commotion decree, stating that the government will allocate 2.7 trillion Colombian pesos (about 655 million U.S. dollars) to carry out its plans, according to a ColombiaOne report.
According to Osuna, the decree is crucial as the government strives to restore normalcy to people's lives.
"The crisis is not over. The state of internal commotion allows the government to rebuild military command centers, levy temporary taxes to strengthen housing and public services in the area, resettle displaced populations, and help out-of-school students return to classrooms," said the justice minister.
Colombia reveals plans to recover conflict-torn Catatumbo region
Colombia reveals plans to recover conflict-torn Catatumbo region
