Colombia Guarantees Security for COP16 as Threats Loom from FARC Dissidents

Colombian authorities reaffirmed on Monday their commitment to ensuring security for COP16 in Cali, an international conference on biodiversity set to begin on October 21, amid concerns about potential threats from dissidents of the former FARC guerrilla group.

Vice Minister of Defense Daniela Gomez Rivas stated that the ongoing operation against the dissidents of the Central General Staff (EMC) in the Cauca region is aimed at evaluating possible retaliatory actions by armed groups. She emphasized that the government is reinforcing the presence of public forces in strategic areas, with plans to deploy 11,000 military and police personnel to secure the sixteenth conference of the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).

General William Salamanca, the director of the national police, also stressed that the police and armed forces have been committed from the outset to ensuring the security of COP16.

On Saturday, President Gustavo Petro asserted on social media platform X that “the security of COP16 is guaranteed.” This event is particularly significant for Petro, Colombia’s first leftist president, who is a strong advocate for environmental protection.