A UN team working on retrieving weapons were ambushed in Caloto, Cauca. Photo: MisiónONUCol
UN Mission Colombia attacked while collecting demobilised FARC weapons – one policeman injured, attackers unknown.
One policeman was injured in Caloto, Cauca when a UN Mission Colombia team working to retrieve FARC munitions were ambushed. It is not yet clear who carried out the attack on the group of UN peacebuilders, police and FARC ex-combatants which took place on Sunday August 6.
The FARC have given information on the locations of 779 arms caches and there are already plans in place to recover 649 of them. These operations require stringent security measures to prevent other players from taking the weapons.
Minister of Defence, Luis Carlos Villegas said that following other activity in Caloto at the time that the attack occurred, they think “the most likely scenario is that the ELN were behind the attack, but we have not ruled out others.” However, the ELN denied responsibility for the ambush.
Villegas said they were also investigating the possibility that FARC dissidents had been involved, and that security measures would be stepped up for future activities of the tripartite mechanism.
The third round of the ELN’s formal peace negotiations with the government began in Quito on July 24.
