Duque telling Colombia citizens they are better off with illegal armed groups: governor [View all]

[Judi Lynn]

by Adriaan Alsema October 30, 2018

Coca farmers and a governor from the south of Colombia are saying that President Ivan Duque is failing to comply with a counter-narcotics strategy that is part of an ongoing peace process.

The farmers and the governor of the Nariño province want the government to reallocate budgets that would allow the national government to fulfill promises made by former President Juan Manuel Santos to replace coca, the base ingredient for cocaine, with legal crops.

Furthermore, the farmers want the government to abstain from fumigating or forcibly eradicating crops as vowed by Defense Minister Guillermo Botero and supported by the United States, the country providing the chemicals.

According to Nariño governor Camilo Romero, the national government has deceived both the coca growers and regional governments for refusing to carry out the crop substitution program in 26 of the 27 municipalities where farmers signed up, despite violent resistance from drug traffickers.

More:
https://colombiareports.com/duque-telling-colombias-citizens-they-are-better-off-with-illegal-armed-groups-governor/