Ecuadorians living near the Colombian border are under pressure by Colombian
guerrillas, paramilitaries and the Colombian army, Ecuador’s Defense
Minister Javier Ponce said Wednesday.
“It’s very easy to say the border is infested with guerrillas,” Ponce said on Ecuadorean television.
The minister added it’s not just the FARC that’s threatening the well-being of the people near the border. They are “victim of pressure from both the FARC, the (paramilitary organization) AUC as well as the Colombian army,” Pince said.
The thickness of the jungle and the size of the border complicate the protection of the Ecuadorean people from armed Colombian groups, says the minister.
“The situation at the border is serious and difficult (…) We are doing everything possible. We have continuous operations, are reinforcing the capacity at the border to more easily be able to locate these groups,” Ponce added.
The Minister blames the Colombian government’s refusal for a political solution to its country’s violence for the growing problems south of the border.