Colombia’s Police says to do all within its power to protect the
council members in the Caquetá department that recently received death
threats from the FARC.
Some sixty members of municipal councils received letters the past week telling them the FARC considers them military targets for collaborating with the National Government.
Some of the threatened council members resigned, because they didn’t feel they were receiving enough protection to continue doing their job, one Caquetá council member said.
According to the director of the Police’s Public Safety department, Orlando Páez, authoritie have set up security rings around these politicians to guarantee their safety.
“They are living near the [police] stations. We have tried to house them all together at key points that we can protect,” Páez told Caracol Radio.
The police commander said his department received extra cars, communication equipment, bullet proof vests and other equipment to increase the protection of the government officials.
Páez added that because of the upcoming elections, and increase of threats by insurgency groups can be expected.
