Guerrilla group ELN ordered a 72-hour lockdown in some of Colombia’s largest cities and regions under their control in protest against the “threats of an imperialist intervention in our country” by US President Donald Trump.
The lockdown ordered by the ELN’s central command began on Sunday 6AM and will be lifted on Wednesday 6AM,according to a press statement by the guerrilla group.
The lockdown is expected to shut down commercial activity and public transport in regions where the ELN effectively is in control.
We, the popular forces of Colombia, protest against threats of imperialist intervention in our country, as a new phase of Trump’s neocolonial plan, which seeks to sink its claws even deeper into Latin American and Caribbean territories. The interference of US imperialism aims to intensify the plundering of our natural resources and national wealth, a dispossession to which we will continue to oppose.
ELN
In a separate announcement, the ELN’s Urban War Front called on the inhabitants of the capital Bogota and four other cities to “avoid approaching police and military facilities, vehicles and motorcycles.”
We advise residents of the cities of Cucuta, Barrancabermeja, Medellin, Bogotá, Cali, Popayan, and their metropolitan and rural areas to avoid approaching police and military facilities, vehicles, and motorcycles. We call on public transportation companies and businesses in general to suspend their activities.
ELN Urban War Front
The Ombudsman’s Office rejected the “armed strike,” claiming that these guerrilla orders mainly affect civilians.
No armed actor may assume functions of authority, establish “rules” of coexistence, or impose collective restrictions on entire communities. Any action that results in de facto blockades or restrictions that prevent the supply and satisfaction of basic needs disregards the obligation to respect goods that are essential for the survival of the civilian population and may also lead to situations of forced displacement or confinement, which are prohibited by IHL except in strictly exceptional circumstances. The civilian population cannot be exploited or subjected to fear as a method of pressure or domination.
Ombudsman’s Office
Previous ELN lockdowns affected the lives of hundreds of thousands of people, particularly in rural regions where the guerrillas have the capacity to enforce their orders.
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