Border fights: two Venezuelan armed forces soldiers killed in attack by FARC dissidents

The false normalcy that the Venezuelan civil and military authorities have tried to give since Monday, given what is happening in the state of Apure, It was over with a stroke this Wednesday afternoon, when in the framework of Operation Bolivarian Shield, a commission of the Venezuelan army was attacked, killing the second sergeant Jesús Alexander Vásquez Pérez, in the place of the 931 infantry battalion “GJ Santiago Mariño” and at least two other officers are seriously injured.

Until now, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC-Gentil Duarte), since the Venezuelan Armed Forces bombed the alias Ferley camp in Apure, understood that they had declared war, for which they emitted audios or sounds via WhatsApp trying to send messages of conciliation with the FANB and the government of Nicolás Maduro, then they turned to threats, they attacked two military posts which were empty , until yesterday afternoon, they attacked one of the Russian armored vehicles BTR.80A.

One of the military reports explains that the commission carried out reconnaissance and control patrols and was chaired by the commander of the third company of BTR-80ª, the 1TTE. Edgar Alejandro Jesús Cedeño Aponte, who had a staff of four professional troupes, 931 BIR GJ plaza. Santiago Mariño and six professional troops of the sea commandos in a BTR-80A vehicle, serial number 2E03AT2777.

At the level of the waterfront, the Municipality of Páez in the State of Apure, “being ambushed by cylinder fire (presumably RPG), rendering the entire Russian-made weapon system useless“. There the death of S2DO occurs Vasquez Perez and the wounded junior officer, “Who was transferred to the military hospital” CAP. Guillermo Hernández Jacobsen, San Cristóbal, Táchira, but He was admitted without vital signs at 7:30 p.m.“. The Commission Commander was also reportedly injured.

GNB detains journalists and advocates

Shortly after the El Ripial incident, a group of journalists and activists from the NGO Fundaredes, who were in La Victoria, documenting what was happening in the area, were detained by the Bolivarian National Guard (GNB), who told them that they would examine the audiovisual material they had on their mobile phones, which would be returned to them, and that they could continue their activities.

At 10:45 p.m. the teacher Javier Tarazona, general coordinator of the NGO, denounced the disappearance of FundaRedes activists in Apure, Juan Carlos Salazar and Diógenes Tirado, as well as journalists Rafael Hernández and Luis Gonzalo Pérez, channel correspondents NTN24.

“6 hours have passedWarned Tarazona, who said he lost communication with them from the time they reported they had been detained by the National Guard. “We don’t know what condition they are in or where, We demand that the Venezuelan state guarantee the life and integrity of these Venezuelans who, doing their job today, are in missing statusWe call on the organizations of universal and inter-American protection to be attentive to these events in a context of internal conflict, between the armed forces and the irregular armed groups FARC ”.

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Since March 31, the Bolivarian National Armed Forces (FANB) attacked the alias Farley camp, in Venezuelan territory, although he had left the scene the previous night, detonations occurred, gunshots were heard, military posts were attacked which were empty. But ten days later he entered another phase, at least on the part of the national government, which began with the communication offensive and the FARC with the loss of two soldiers, in addition to those of Major Edward Ramón. Corobo Segovia and First Lieutenant Yonathan Miguel Duarte, who died when the vehicle in which they were mobilized stepped on an anti-personnel mine.

Government propaganda media insist on selling an image of normalcy that is not. The mayor of Páez repeats as a refrain that the displaced have already returned to La Victoria. “This is not true“, They say Infobae displaced people who express desperation to return, but consider that now is not the time. “Yes, some go to Venezuela, but they go back to Arauquita. Many go just to see, test the waters, but no one wants to stay in La Victoria just yet ”.

In what was a lightness, the operational strategic commander, the admiral-in-chief Remigio Ceballos Ichaso, he dared to assure: “We studied this threat which appears in the state of Apure. For the moment, we have control of all these spaces and we remain involved in actions involving a maneuver through the Apure state and associated states ”.

“We have very good information which will allow all of our national Bolivarian armed forces to guarantee peace and security to the Venezuelan people.”

Moved

A week after the bombing of the alias Farley camp, large numbers of internally displaced people continued to arrive in Colombia, who fled for fear of clashes. In the neighboring town of Arauquita, the authorities have implemented spaces and tents to serve them, offer them shelter and food.

Arauquita has activated 19 temporary shelters, to house the displaced, but also the doors of the houses of many inhabitants of the Colombian municipality were opened to shelter the terrified arrived families, in particular the children and the elderly; The municipal government represents a great support for the displaced people, as well as the Éxito Foundation, including the Colombian National Army and the Colombian Civil Defense, which prepared, transported and provided the assistance of the municipal government.

On Monday March 29, with the arrival of new humanitarian aid, more displaced people also continued to arrive.. The national government has given instructions to civil, local and regional authorities to come and minimize the problem, so that the mayor of the municipality of Páez, José Romero alias Chema, posted videos saying that all was calm and that the displaced were returning. . quietly. The facts denied it.

National and international public opinion the murder of four family members sparked outrage, who lived in neighborhood 5 of Julio de La Victoria and were found dead in the El Ripial sector, some dressed in the clothes or shoes used by the guerrillas, as well as weapons near their hands. Parents, neighbors and friends of the deceased bluntly denounced that it was false that they were guerrillas.

On the other hand, if anything shows that the situation was not at all under control, Monday March 29, the executive direction of the integral security of the Boyacá division announced that actions of protection and safeguard were implemented for the personnel. of the public enterprise. Petróleos of Venezuela (PDVSA) from the Apure district. This motivated, according to the report, “armed clashes between the CEO of the FANB and irregular groups (Colombian guerrillas FARC) in all neighborhoods near the city of La Victoria“.

He adds that “the GNB staff at the Guafita station station are in a situation of maximum alert and barracks, therefore will not provide the appropriate support to perform security operations Today, in the facilities and the operational area of ​​Guafita, with OSF staff of the DSI-DA, for the security measures and physical protection of the staff of the DSI-DA who perform their duties in the positions of service of the operational area of ​​Guafita “.

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