A telecommunications tower in a rural area in northern Colombia near the Venezuelan border was blown up on Sunday night by suspected leftist insurgents.
A cell phone tower in rural Tarra, located in the embattled Catatumbo region, was reportedly destroyed by alleged FARC rebels who belong to the guerrillas’ 33rd Front. The tower, which supplied cell service for Tigo customers in the region, was destroyed in the midnight hours Sunday night. According to Caracol Radio, the blast from the dynamite also hit several nearby houses causing the inhabitants to move into the village center for the night.
In 2013, there have already been 25 attacks carried out on the country’s oil, energy, and telecommunications infrastructure in the Norte de Santander department. The Catatumbo region is known to have large deposits of coal and oil and thus, the presence of FARC guerrillas as well.
The FARC and the Colombian government are in the midst of peace talks that aim to bring a negotiated end to the longest-standing civil war on the continent.
MORE: Colombia lawmakers travel to Cuba to discuss FARC’s political future
Source
- Atentado contra torre de telecomunicaciones deja sin servicio celular parte del Catatumbo (Caracol Radio)
