Colombia forms elite unit to hunt down forest fire culprits

Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella has ordered the immediate formation of a specialized elite unit tasked with identifying, pursuing, and apprehending individuals responsible for the recent wave of forest fires across the country. This decisive action comes as over 20,000 hectares of forest and crops have been consumed by flames.

During a visit to San Luis in the Tolima department, one of the most severely affected areas, the president denounced that armed groups are exploiting the climate emergency to launch attacks against the civilian population. The newly established contingent will integrate intelligence and tactical maneuver capabilities from various state security institutions to locate the perpetrators.

"I have ordered the immediate formation of a special elite group with intelligence, investigation, and operational capabilities to identify, pursue, and capture every single person responsible for starting these fires. This elite body will be composed in a combined manner," stated de la Espriella, outlining the unit's scope and composition.

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I have ordered the immediate formation of a special elite group with intelligence, investigation, and operational capabilities to identify, pursue, and capture every single person responsible for starting these fires. This elite body will be composed in a combined manner.

To incentivize information gathering, the president announced a reward of up to 50 million pesos (approximately $16,000 USD) for individuals who provide accurate information leading to the arrest of those involved. This measure aims to expedite the identification and capture of the culprits.

The country is currently battling 21 active forest fires, with Tolima being the most affected department, followed by Nariño, Cundinamarca, Valle del Cauca, and Huila. Authorities have noted the presence of drug trafficking structures and factions of the Central General Staff (EMC), a dissident group of the former FARC, operating in the disaster zones. President de la Espriella linked the fires to the actions of these criminal organizations, stating, "While our farmers and Colombian state emergency agencies fight the flames, the narcoterrorists are taking advantage of this calamity to commit their terrorist acts, to intimidate the population and carry out drone attacks in the south of the department."

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While our farmers and Colombian state emergency agencies fight the flames, the narcoterrorists are taking advantage of this calamity to commit their terrorist acts, to intimidate the population and carry out drone attacks in the south of the department.