Colombia: Ivan Duque announces "maximum military deployment" in Cali
Colombian President Ivan Duque meets with police officers in Cali on Friday, May 28, 2021. via REUTERS - COLOMBIA PRESIDENCY
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In Colombia, where the protests have been going on for a month, President Ivan Duque is pulling out his army.
More than a thousand troops deployed to the city of Cali on Saturday, where 13 people - at least - were killed again on Friday.
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With our correspondent in Bogota,
Marie-Eve Detoeuf
This new violence has brought the death toll to more than 60 since the start of the mobilization, according to human rights organizations.
The army is now authorized to intervene across the country to lift the roadblocks held by the demonstrators.
In Cali,
the social conflict
took on the appearance of a civil war.
Videos circulating on social networks show police and civilians shooting at protesters amid screams, barricades and broken windows.
On Friday, one of the civilians who shot, and killed a protester, was then lynched to death, under the watchful eye of cellphones.
Militarization of the country
President Ivan Duque made the trip to Cali to announce, I quote, “
a maximum military deployment
”.
He denounced the acts of vandalism.
He did not have a word for the victims of police repression.
The presidential decree signed on Saturday authorizes the army to intervene, in support of local authorities and the police in eight departments and thirteen cities.
The right obviously applauds.
But the measure is not likely to calm the streets.
On Saturday, the town of Popayan was the scene of further violence.
Supporters of social dialogue, human rights organizations and the opposition consider the militarization of the country dangerous and unconstitutional.
► To read also: Colombia: President Duque sends the army to Cali after a month of mobilization
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