Political leaders in the southern Colombian Meta department request military support to prevent guerrilla groups setting up illegal checkpoints on the roads, reports Noticiera del Llano.
Noticiera del Llano reports that commuters in the area are afraid that guerrillas will set up illegal checkpoints on the roads.
The leaders of Meta asked Defense Minister Rodrigo Rivera and Interior and Justice Minister German Vargas Lleras to use the military brigades based in Bogota and Villavicencio to monitor the roads and ensure they are safe for drivers.
The U.S. Department of State’s report on human rights in Colombia released in March says that the “FARC and ELN guerrillas continued to establish illegal checkpoints on rural highways, but an enhanced government security presence along major highways reduced the number of kidnappings. The Ministry of Defense reported no kidnappings at illegal roadblocks during the year.”