Northeastern Colombia: President Gustavo Petro’s caravan attacked

On August 24, the Presidency of Colombia confirmed that official vehicles of President Gustavo Petro’s advance party were attacked on the road that leads from the city of Bucaramanga to the municipality of El Tarra, department of Norte de Santander (northeast), where Petro’s visit is scheduled for next Friday.

“The Intelligence Units in the Jurisdiction of the municipality of El Tarra delivered preliminary information about the attack with firearms, long-range, to vehicles that were heading to the municipality to integrate the caravan of the President of the Republic, Gustavo Petro, for an event that was scheduled in this sector of the country,” said the statement.

It added that the event occurred in the San Pablo sector in the middle of an illegal checkpoint with at least six armed men who shot at the vehicles after the caravan ignored the order to stop.

“In this event, one of the vehicles did not make it past the checkpoint, and another was punctured. Two vehicles and a National Protection Unit (UNP) driver were detained there, who was later released (…) The other vehicles and their crew members managed to pass the checkpoint. The people are under the protection of the authorities,” he explained.

The Presidency assured that the region’s authorities, the National Protection Unit, and the Ministry of Defense were in charge of the situation two days before President Petro arrived in the area.

The events occurred the same day President Petro called on all armed groups in the country to cease violent actions to open the opportunity for peace dialogues to achieve the so-called “total peace” in the South American country.

With information from Xinhua