The Defense, Security and Citizen Coexistence Policy of the Ministry of Defense is focused on the protection of human life.
A table will be created together with multilateral organizations and the Military Forces to carry out strategies to help the care of migrants.
The Military Forces are conducting operations against organizations that are intermediaries, such as the Clan del Golfo, in the smuggling of migrants.
Counteracting criminal structures is the operation that the Military Forces and the National Police are carrying out in the region of the Tapon del Darien in the department of Chocó and in the archipelago of San Andrés, to counter the illegal migration that takes place there, as explained by the Deputy Minister for Defense and Security Policies of the Ministry of Defense, Alberto Lara, during the debate on political control in the second commission of the Chamber of representatives.
“This is a matter of protection and working for Human Rights, where the Defense, Security and Citizen Coexistence Policy of the Ministry of Defense is working for. That is, we are focused on the protection of human life and in that concern, the Military Forces and the National Police conduct operations, first of all, against organizations such as the GAO Clan del Golfo that are intermediaries in the process of trafficking people based on receiving them to use that space through the Darien Gap to the United States,” the Deputy Minister said.
In addition, it was announced the creation of a table together with UNHCR (United Nations Agency for Refugees), United Nations Agency for Migration and Ombudsman's Office, so that together with the Military Forces review the situation and comprehensive strategies are designed based on the assistance of migrants.
For the official, the Military Forces are carrying out unified operations, not only operationally but in the same way humanely, to contribute to the assistance of migrants in municipalities such as Necoclí, Turbo and Juradó.
According to the director of Colombia Migration, Carlos Fernando García, by 2023, it is estimated that about 200 thousand people will pass through Necoclí and Turbo, due to the geographical situation of Colombia, which ends up being the transit to reach the United States.
On the other hand, he highlighted that, in San Andrés, although the issue of migrants is relatively new, the Colombian Navy has reported that many of them who have been abandoned on keys of the island, have been saved.
Finally, Deputy Minister Alberto Lara assured that the Ministry of Defense will focus, as it has been doing during these months, on what has to do with pursuit criminal structures, but in the same way in a comprehensive and multi - sectors way on humanitarian issues, giving priority and voice to the most vulnerable people.
Source: Defense Sector Communications Office - Ministry of National Defense
