The president of one of Colombia’s leading transport companies on Thursday said the government had not done enough to stop the armed shutdown launched by FARC guerrillas in the western Choco department.
“This is not a paper strike, nor was the car which exploded yesterday in Caloto,” said Marino Quintero, president of the Asotrans transport company.
BACKGROUND: FARC threathens to shut down western Colombia
FARC rebels initiated the strike on the first of February and said it would continue until the 20th.
Despite official guarantees from the police and army, transport workers in Choco have refused to operate buses to and from the cities of Medellin and Pereira because of the security situation.
“There is no human being more vulnerable than a conductor on an empty roadway,” said Quintero, who added that some 200,000 passengers may have been unable to travel during the first seven days of the armed strike.
BACKGROUND: FARC shuts down western Colombia
According to local media, officials from the Antioquia, Risaralda and Choco departments will meet on Friday to discuss the problem.
