12 Apr 2020 | 12:27 PM UTC
Colombia: Security forces capture FARC dissidents in Antioquia department April 12
Two FARC dissidents captured following security operation targeting regional leader in Campamento municipality (Antioquia department) Campamento municipality on April 12; similar operations possible in Antioquia department in the near term
Event
A security operation involving multiple military and police units captured two Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia (FARC) dissidents in the Campamento municipality (Antioquia department) on Saturday, April 11. The two male individuals were reported to be part of a security detail that protects a regional FARC leader. Multiple forms of weaponry were also confiscated during the operation.
Further military operations are possible in Antioquia department in the coming days and weeks.
Context
A peace deal between FARC leadership and the Colombian government was ratified by the Colombian congress in November 2016, officially ending an armed conflict that killed more than 260,000 people over five decades. However, some dissident ex-FARC militants remain active, notably in the Colombian-Ecuadorian border region.
Advice
Individuals in or planning travel to Colombia are advised to keep abreast of the situation. Due to the presence of a number of armed groups - including drug cartels, right-wing militias, local gangs, and the ELN guerrilla group in addition to ex-FARC dissidents - Western governments generally advise against travel to various regions of the country, most notably most border areas on the frontiers with Ecuador, Peru, Brazil, Venezuela, and Panama.
