Colombia: Coca-Cola farmers retain about 180 soldiers who destroyed crops | General Omar Zebul Veda condemned the “abduction” of his troops.

About 180 Colombian soldiers who had eradicated the drug crop were detained by cocoa farmers in the municipality of Thibu. Located on the border with Venezuela. General Omar Zebul Veda Condemned What A “kidnapping” Seizure of his men by communities opposed to the destruction of illegal plantations. Farmers He described the accusation as “disproportionate” and was open to conversation.

Kopo farmers in Tibet municipality last Tuesday “abducted six regiments of the National Army,” Zebul Veda told reporters. Thus said the army officer Troops surrounded the peasants with sticks and knives Soldiers are concentrated in the rural school as they carry out “operations against the overall drug trafficking chain.”

Spokesman for the Agricultural Association The man, who identified himself as a “junior”, told W Radio The community has a “better mindset to converse” to allow the military to leave. Because he promised that they would stop the army from protesting The government has failed to deliver on its promises on a plan to replace banned crops with cocoa leaf crops.

The ombudsman’s office said on Twitter that he was heading to Tibu to mediate and release the soldiers. The municipality is located In the Norte Santander Department this is the area known as the Catatumbo area, The region with the highest number of medicinal crops in the world. In that area, insurgents from ELN guerrillas and dissidents from former FARC guerrillas are operating, and according to a recent 2020 UN report, about 40,084 hectares of cocoa leaves have been planted.