The Colombian government on Monday announced a plan to increase security in the western department of Cauca, due to a current period of increased violence and instability caused by FARC militias in the area, announced Colombian media.
President Alvaro Uribe said that special attention would be given to the department as a result of the recent high number of attacks against civilians living in the region. This includes three attacks that occurred in Caucan municipalities of Caldono, Jambalo and Cajibio over the weekend.
Speaking at a security council meeting in Popayan, Uribe stated that the mission would be supported by the national police, the armed forced and the security agency DAS, as well as other local authorities.
Although the president admitted to certain failures by authorities in collecting preventative intelligence in recent FARC attacks in the area, he assured reporters that “we will review these mistakes to prevent them from happening again.”
Uribe added that the plan will be implemented with the support of presidential agency for the displaced, Accion Social.
The agency’s director, Sandra Alzate, explained that humanitarian aid was being dispatched to communities that have been displaced by the conflict.