At least 19 people would have lost their lives in an operation by the Venezuelan Armed Forces against a camp of the National Liberation Army (ELN) guerrilla in the Buena Vista del Meta sector, in the Pedro Camejo municipality, Apure state, in the Venezuelan strip bordering Colombia, according to the complaint by the NGO FundaREDES.
"Nine people would have died and their bodies would have been transferred to San Fernando (...). Another ten deceased people have been left in the area and an undetermined number of injured people who would have managed to reach Colombian territory," the coordinator of FundaREDES, Juan Francisco García Escalona, has explained in a message published on social media.
The coordinator has specified that the military offensive took place on Friday, October 30, and has released the identity of five of the victims, whose documents would have been recovered by inhabitants of the area: Jesús Javier Brugal Carrero, Juan Carlos Guerrero Márquez, Jesús Javier Brugal Carrero, Wilden Luis Solorzano Camacho and Gabriel Carlos Brugal.
García has pointed out that there is an indeterminate number of injured people who would have managed to cross into Colombia and has called for an official version from the Venezuelan authorities, recalling that in recent weeks similar events have occurred both in the state of Bolívar and in the area close to the Paso del Burro crossing, in the surroundings of the Meta and Orinoco rivers.
"Communities need answers, the urgent matter is to clarify what happened, protect the civilian population and identify the victims through verifiable procedures, with notification to their relatives," he has stated.
"The seriousness of what has been reported requires investigation and transparency, not silence or premature conclusions, let us hope that the Venezuelan State on this occasion acts with transparency," he added. According to García, these attacks "are related to disputes over control of bauxite and coltan exploitation zones".
FundaREDES has also reported other armed clashes and the alleged use of drones with explosives in the Pie de Cerro sector, Cedeño municipality of Bolívar state, about 5 kilometers from the Bauxilium camp and in the vicinity of the bauxite deposits. "Gunfire and explosions forced the emergency evacuation of the mining workers and the suspension of operations until further notice," it indicated.