In Colombia, a motion of censure tabled against Defense Minister Diego Molano will be debated and voted on Tuesday, April 26. For the opposition, Mr. Molano is responsible for the military raid which, on March 28, resulted in the death of eleven people, including at least four civilians. The raid took place in the village of Alto Remanso, department of Putumayo, in the Amazon south of the country.
With our correspondent in Bogota, Marie-Eve Detoeuf
The soldiers arrived in the early morning at Alto Remanso. The shootings lasted several hours. The raid targeted one of the armed groups in the region, a major cocaine producer. It is first presented as a success by the government, which speaks of “eleven narco-terrorists” killed by the army. Here, such an operation does not make the headlines in the newspapers. Six years after the signing of a historic peace agreement with the FARC guerrillas, clashes between soldiers and these residual armed groups remain frequent.
But this time, problem: the testimonies of the inhabitants of Alto Remanso contradict the version of the army. Journalists make the trip. They confirm that four unarmed civilians were killed, including a pregnant woman and a 16-year-old boy. Outcry from human rights organizations and the UN demanding an investigation.
For Minister Diego Molano, the operation was legal and legitimate. On the government side, this is not the time for self-criticism. The parliamentary opposition is in the minority in Congress and the motion of censure will most likely come to an end.