President Juan Manuel Santos announced Monday he will intensify security measures in south western Colombia following a number of FARC attacks on a town.
Fighting has become particularly intense in the town of Caldono in the department of Cauca and many residents have fled to the countryside.
“I don’t know how many guerrillas there were because I could not leave my house, we are surrounded by mortars and conditions are very complicated. The station is located in the center of the road and there is much fear among the people,” said Government Secretary Caldono Charles Easter.
According to the lcoal official, there are only 22 soldiers stationed in Caldono to repel the FARC fighters.
President Santos commented, “Cauca is still having a hard time on security, we are perfectly aware of what is happening, and we’ll see how we can enhance security to prevent harm to the civilians still in the middle of the confrontation.”
Caldono has been under attack by FARC guerrillas for over a week. The town lies in the Cauca department which is crucial for both the FARC and drug trafficking organizations for the trafficking of drugs from the Colombian jungle to the Pacific Ocean.
