Venezuelan Armed Forces and FARC dissidents enter “truce,” according to NGO

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The Venezuelan National Bolivarian Armed Forces (FANB) and FARC dissidents entered a stage of “truce” after more than two months of clashes in the state of Apure, bordering Colombia, said this Sunday, the director of the NGO Fundaredes, Javier Tarazona.

“Apure-La Victoria in truce and quartering, today May 30 there is a suspension of hostilities (armistice) of the FANB with FARC’s Tenth Front,” Tarazona said in a message on Twitter.

The activist, who has been in charge of communicating what is happening in the border state since March 21, added that “the military withdrawal from some areas seems to indicate the beginning of the liberation” of the eight military personnel kidnapped by the guerrillas more than a month ago.

According to a communiqué received by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), the soldiers were kidnapped by a FARC dissident group on April 23 in the midst of clashes.

The information of the kidnapping was confirmed on May 15 by the Minister of Defense, Vladimir Padrino López, when he announced that the Venezuelan authorities would work together with the ICRC to release the soldiers.

The Armed Forces, which have avoided identifying the groups they are confronting, have not gone in-depth on how the confrontations in Apure are developing, which have left an undetermined number of dead, nor have they offered details of what has happened in the area in the last three weeks.

According to Fundaredes, in the midst of these clashes, at least three soldiers have also disappeared, and more than 6,000 people have been displaced towards Colombia.

The NGO denounced a week ago the kidnapping of four other soldiers and their release hours later.

The Venezuelan National Bolivarian Armed Forces (FANB) and FARC dissidents entered a stage of “truce” after more than two months of clashes in Apure, bordering Colombia, said this Sunday, the director of the NGO Fundaredes, Javier Tarazona.

“Apure-La Victoria in truce and quartering, today May 30 there is a suspension of hostilities (armistice) of the FANB with FARC’s Tenth Front,” Tarazona said in a message on Twitter.

The activist, who has been in charge of communicating what is happening in the border state since March 21, added that “the military withdrawal from some areas seems to indicate the beginning of the liberation” of the eight military personnel kidnapped by the guerrillas more than a month ago.

According to a communiqué received by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), the soldiers were kidnapped by a FARC dissident group on April 23 in the midst of clashes.

The information of the kidnapping was confirmed on May 15 by the Minister of Defense, Vladimir Padrino López, when he announced that the Venezuelan authorities would work together with the ICRC to release the soldiers.

The Armed Forces, which have avoided identifying the groups they are confronting, have not gone in-depth on how the confrontations in Apure are developing, which have left an undetermined number of dead, nor have they offered details of what has happened in the area in the last three weeks.

According to Fundaredes, in the midst of these clashes, at least three soldiers have also disappeared, and more than 6,000 people have been displaced towards Colombia.

The NGO denounced a week ago the kidnapping of four other soldiers and their release hours later.