Colombian President issued extraordinary powers to establish order in the Coca region destroyed by rebel struggles

President of Colombia He issued a decree on Friday, giving him extraordinary powers to establish order in the region where cocaine is grown at the Venezuel border, which has been shaken by the deadly war between the dissident rebel groups in recent days.

The decree of President Gustav Petra, who can be extended, gives him 90 days to introduce a police watch, restrict traffic and take other steps that would otherwise violate the civil rights of the Columbians or require the approval of the Congress.

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This is the first time in more than a decade that a Colombian president has used such an extreme measure and emphasized the seriousness of the current conflict in a country that has been paralyzed by political violence for decades.

However, this applies only to the Catatumbo Rural Region near the Venezuel border, where the Colombian state has struggled for decades to acquire a foothold. In the past week, at least 80 people were killed and estimated that another 36,000 were displaced while conflicts between The National Liberation Armyor ELN, and the supporters of the revolutionary armed forces of Colombia, or Farc.

Peter’s conservative opponents criticized the move, accusing the former guerrilla of behaving roughly around the Constitution. But some activists celebrated him, saying that they hope that this move will be translated into better infrastructure, health care and schools in the traditionally iniquity region.

“Why are armed groups here? Because the Government did not invest. They left us,” said Jaime Botero, an activist in Tibu, for Associated Press.

Earlier this week, Petro reactivated 31 supreme commander’s arrest warrants, which were suspended as part of the effort to rebel inspired by the Cuban Revolution on a peacetime agreement to end their 60-year war against the state. Petro also suspended all peace negotiations, which have progressed slowly since he took over his duty in 2022.

Eln traditionally dominated Catatumbba, but was lost by the soil under control of the farc opponent, a guerrilla group that mainly fell apart after signing a peace agreement with the Government 2016.

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The current conflict is overflowing across the border in Venezuela, where some of those who flee from violence have sought refuge.

The current residence of ELN peacekeeping negotiators is unknown. But the Cuban government said this week that they were gone, which stated some of the guesses that they might be hidden in Venezuelawhich is one of the sponsor of Petro’s peace initiative with ELN.