Trent Barr

Latin America Desk Chief

With years of specialized training, Trent brings deep expertise to his role as the Latin America Desk Chief for Atlas News, where he provides critical insights and analysis on regional developments.

Good morning, and welcome to The Situation Room. Today we’re getting into:

Increased hostilities between the FARC-EMC and Colombian government, two mass shootings in South Africa closely following a massacre which left 18 people dead, and the arrest of a key ringleader within the Sinaloa Cartel amid an intense civil war between the Chapitos and cartel members loyal to El Mayo.

Lets get into it!

Reported Use of Civilians by FARC-EMC as Conflict in Cauca Intensified

By: Bianca Bridger, Africa Desk Chief

Military intelligence reports revealed the alleged use of civilians as human shields by members of a splinter faction of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia known as the Estado Mayor Central (FARC-EMC) on Wednesday as attacks against security forces intensify in Cauca, a region known for the large presence of the FARC-EMC.

A Pot Boiling Over

Reports from Colombian intelligence services indicate that a meeting between civilians and the FARC-EMC was held in order to brief residents of a region known as Cañón del Micay [Micay Canyon], a key area for the armed group’s transfer of narcotics into neighboring Ecuador, on their responsibilities if security forces attempt to reassert control over the region as part of a larger operation known as Operation Perseus.

Members of the armed groups allegedly told locals during the meeting that children and pregnant women should approach armored vehicles and attempt to prevent further movement by security forces through their communities. Locals were further encouraged to orchestrate large-scale demonstrations against security forces and conduct raids against positions held by the Colombian military in an effort to force out security forces from the region, allowing for the armed group to assert further control over disputed areas.

These alleged orders from the FARC-EMC follow similar efforts by the local population of Cauca to impede the progress of operations conducted by security forces in the area. Last weekend, security forces arrived in the El Plateado district of Argelia, Cauca, to attempt to remove the presence of members of the FARC-EMC. These efforts ultimately failed, largely due to the refusal of civilians to allow military operations within the district.

Video obtained by Semana, a Colombian news outlet, shows civilians standing directly in the path of two Armored Security Vehicles (ASV) identified by Atlas News as  M1117s, an ASV originally developed for use by the United States’ Military Police.

In response to the military’s operation in El Plateado, the FARC-EMC responded with explosives dropped from commercial drones across four locations within the area while civilians blocked the military’s movements. The attack injured 17 civilians, according to military sources, while no casualties have been reported.

Reports suggest civilians who attempted to stop security forces’ advance were encouraged by the local command structure of the FARC-EMC, although these claims cannot be confirmed by Atlas News at this time.

In response to the alleged use of civilians to deter military operations by the FARC-EMC, Colombia’s Minister of Defense, Iván Velásquez Gómez, met with the inhabitants of El Plateado before condemning the attack on the Ministry of Defense’s X page.

“We reject any action that involves children and adolescents in violence or attacks against state forces." The Ministry of Defense said in the post. “No purpose justifies exposing the most vulnerable to these risks. The commitment to protect the life and rights of children is unwavering.”

Tensions in Cauca have increased rapidly since the suspension of a ceasefire between the FARC-EMC and Colombian government in March following the former’s attack against an indigenous community which left a community leader dead and two others injured following the group’s attempt to forcibly recruit two minors. Since the suspension of the ceasefire, the Colombian military has revived offensive operations against the leftist guerilla group which has reportedly grown more powerful through the expansion of the production and distribution of narcotics, increasing the number of recruits, and taking territory from rival armed groups in Colombia.

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