Colombia’s largest guerrilla group, the FARC, on Monday began their “armed strike” in the western department of Choco, effectively halting traffic on the road connecting the cities of Quibdo and Medellin.
In late January, FARC pamphlets informed residents that vehicles traveling on the road would be considered military targets from February 1 until February 20.
BACKGROUND: FARC threatens to shut down Western Colombia
The six bus companies serving the routes to Medellin, Cali, and Bogota, on Monday said that they would not dispatch buses due to the FARC shutdown.
Due to the lack of public transport, the only way to travel between the municipalities of Choco was to go by motortaxi, reported radio station La FM.
According to news reports, police and military on Monday patrolled the Choco transport terminal and found that there were no buses or passengers.
Authorities said there was no shortage of basic products in the area, despite the inability to bring in supplies by road.
The Choco department is the intersection of two FARC Blocs. The Northwestern Bloc, which has a sizable presence in the northern region of the department, and the Western Bloc, which is primarily based in the south.
