With the presence of the governor of the department, Rodrigo Villalba Mosquera, and the military and police commanders, a security council was held in the municipality of Campoalegre in which measures were announced to restore tranquility and security to the inhabitants of the rice-growing capital of the Huila. Also present were the mayor, Víctor Ramón Vargas Salazar, the Municipal Person’s Office and the Ombudsman’s Office, among other entities and authorities.
Hernan Galindo
The series of murders and acts of violence in the first days of the year in the municipality of Campoalegre forced the authorities to hold a security council yesterday to look for solutions to the difficult public order situation. So far this year there have been six violent deaths that have occurred in this town near Neiva.
According to data from Legal Medicine, last year Campoalegre recorded 30 violent deaths of which three victims were women and in the other 27 cases the deceased were men.
The authorities decided to make an institutional presence in the municipality of Campoalegre to create a decentralized security council. The objective is to initiate an action plan that allows them to restore tranquility to the inhabitants of the rice capital of Huila.
The fundamental thing is to establish coordination with the Public Force, control entities and human rights organizations, to work tirelessly in the fight against crime.
The security council
After noon yesterday, Friday, the security council convened by the departmental government in the municipality of Campoalegre began.
Also present were the governor of the department, Rodrigo Villalba Mosquera, the mayor of the town Víctor Vargas, the commanders of the Ninth Brigade of the Army, the Huila Police Department, the Ombudsman’s Office, the representative to the Chamber Flora Perdomo and spokespersons for community.
The person in charge of delivering the balance was Governor Villalba Mosquera, who expressed his satisfaction with the holding of the security meeting and above all the attendance of the summoned groups.
“The presence of the commander of the Ninth Brigade, the commander of the Huila Police Department, the commander of the Neiva Metropolitan Police, the mayor of Campoalegre, the Ombudsman, the secretary of the Departmental Government, representatives of the Public Ministry, of unions, civil society also to look at the security issue in Campo Alegre,” indicated the Huilense president.
Villalba continued stating that they had the opportunity to make a diagnosis of what is happening in the department and “specifically in Campoalegre regarding security issues and we drew conclusions where everything we collected here we are going to incorporate as a constructive initiative in the departmental coexistence plan and security that we are developing,” he added.
Secondly, he referred to the commitment of all those who have to do with security to act in a harmonious manner, “there is also a commitment that the Gaula is going to come talk to the merchants to enlighten them on how to act when they are subject to extortion or any intimidating act,” added Villalba Mosquera.
One of the commitments made is to carry out joint patrols between the Police and the Army.
“We are going to be very attentive and tell the Campoalegrunos that they are not alone; All the authorities, departmental and local government, the Army, the Police, the Prosecutor’s Office, we are all going to be very committed.”
He added that concrete actions with results will be carried out to give peace of mind to the citizens of Campoalegre; “That’s why we came and we leave calm because we did a good exercise, but also conclusions that will result in action plans that will seek a good result for peace of mind; The security of citizens is a public good that the State has to provide and those of us who represent the State are going to fulfill that duty,” Governor Villalba Mosquera insisted.
Finally, he recognized the Army at the head of the Ninth Brigade for “a successful operation that was carried out yesterday in the upper part of Garzón where they very efficiently confronted a group of criminals who were in uniform intimidating the population and the results speak volumes.” As well as the effectiveness of the Army in this type of operation, I also want to acknowledge the National Police from Campoalegre Huila, for the very effective result in putting a kidnapper in safekeeping in the south of the department this week when he tried to intimidate San Agustín and Isnos to a citizen and kidnap him.”
Mayor Víctor Ramón Vargas
The local leader highlighted and thanked the presence of all the authorities at the security council in which the difficult security situation was addressed.
He took the opportunity to announce that they are in the construction of the Municipal Development Plan “and we have to leave a special chapter where the people feel satisfied with the tranquility and security that they demand so much.”
“There is also a commitment that the Gaula will come to speak with merchants to enlighten them on how to act when they are subject to extortion or any intimidating act.”
“We are going to be very attentive and tell the Campoalegrunos that they are not alone; All the authorities, departmental and local government, the Army, the Police, the Prosecutor’s Office, we are all going to be very committed.”
Six fatalities this year in Campoalegre
The rice capital of Huila began the first day of the year 2024 with a bloody incident in the Ferro neighborhood of this town.
The brothers Yan Carlos and Luis Miguel Suaza Vanegas were murdered there. The incident occurred at around 12:25 in the morning when the victims were receiving the New Year, accompanied by their loved ones in front of a home in the sector in question.
Later, Jorge Leonardo Morales Quintero was shot dead when he arrived at his home in the Sincelejo neighborhood in the municipality of Campoalegre. That day he had asked on social networks not to blame him for the death of his friend Diego de el, ‘Chato’s’ bodyguard, who was murdered on October 9 of the previous year.
According to known information, Morales Quintero was the driver who was part of the security scheme, when ‘Chato’ was a candidate for mayor of that municipality. It is worth remembering that a few days before the elections, the murder of bodyguard Juan Diego López Cardona was recorded, in the early hours of October 9, where many hypotheses arose, which forced Jorge Leonardo to speak out through his social networks.
A fourth death was recorded when armed men took the life of Anderson Valderrama Medina, 25 years old, while he was in the La Caraguaja neighborhood of the rice-growing capital of Huila.
In another act of contract killing, Anderson Valderrama Medina, 25 years old, was killed in the rice-growing capital of Huila.
Likewise, the hitman of Germán Leonardo Quintero Manrique was presented, which occurred in the Ferro neighborhood on January 15.
And finally, around midnight on Sunday, January 28 and early on Monday, January 29, a young woman identified as Tatiana Liseth Cruz Tovar, 20 years old, lost her life, who was apparently wounded by gunfire in the Ferro neighborhood of this town. Although the victim was helped and taken to the hospital, she did not survive.
Although the mayor of Campoalegre, Víctor Ramón Vargas Salazar, issued two decrees of restrictions with the purpose of recovering peace and security in the rice-growing capital of Huila, his measures continue to produce no results.
Tatiana Liseth Cruz Tovar, 20 years old, who was apparently wounded by gunfire in the Ferro neighborhood of this town on Sunday, January 28, was taken to a health center, but did not survive her injuries.