The Ministry of Defense of Colombia announced this Saturday the launch of a new phase of the military and police campaign 'Esparta', which will be restructured and reactivated based in Ocaña, in the department of Norte de Santander, in the northwest of the country. This decision responds to the "terrorist" attack recorded the previous day against the Military Canton El Trapiche.
With this operation, Defense seeks to concentrate and coordinate the resources of the Colombian security forces to confront the armed groups linked to drug trafficking that operate in that region, as explained by the Ministry itself in a brief statement disseminated through social networks.
Within this renewed phase, the authorities will maintain the device aimed at monitoring and controlling the corridors used by criminal organizations to move between the south of the department of Cesar and Ocaña. This deployment will be complemented by a closer articulation of intelligence, counterintelligence, and judicialization processes.
The Colombian Executive has also announced the activation of the CICOT and the CIJUT, two mechanisms with which it aims to improve the early detection of possible risks, identify those responsible for violent acts, and facilitate their delivery to Justice.
"We deploy all our capabilities to protect the Catatumbo and reiterate that there will be rewards for information that allows locating and capturing the main leaders of the ELN (National Liberation Army)," the Ministry of Defense has indicated.
This offensive is part of the Government's strategy to increase security in the Catatumbo, an area heavily impacted by the presence of armed groups and drug trafficking networks. The measure comes after two Colombian soldiers died and another five were injured in an attack attributed to the ELN against Public Force facilities in Ocaña on Friday.