Buenaventura, Colombia, January 2016. / nikitich viktoriya/Shutterstock.
Buenaventura, Colombia, Sep 2, 2022 / 15:44 pm (CNA).
Wednesday, Bishop Rubén Daro Jaramillo Montoya of Buenaventura revealed that drug gang violence in the Colombian port city has compelled churches to have Masses earlier in the day, since the criminals control when citizens are permitted to be on the streets.
At around 6:30 p.m. on August 30, a battle between the Los Shottas and Los Espartanos trafficking gangs broke out in the Juan XXIII area. Moments thereafter, a number of police officers arrived and engaged the offenders in gunfire.
Bishop Jaramillo said on August 31 on Noticias Caracol television that this “is not an isolated incident, but rather it occurs often with many occasions when the community has not slept” due to gunshots fired in the streets that impact the homes, putting “the whole society at risk.”
The cardinal said that these armed organizations go from community to neighborhood carrying their conflicts with them.
“They announce that by six o’clock in the evening, everyone must be at home. Therefore, everyone must comply,” he said.
“Schools shut, churches must conduct Mass before a particular time of day, and the whole community must close their businesses; consequently, it seems that they are exercising power,” stated the Bishop of Buenaventura, who urged the government to protect the population’s rights.
Bishop Jaramillo noted that Los Shottas and Los Espartanos, who once united under the name La Local, control the urban region of Buenaventura.
According to the priest, the organizations are competing for “control of the neighborhoods, drug trafficking routes, and the imposition of new extortion zones.” According to him, this produces a tremendous deal of concern since the fighting occurs in the streets and the populace must hide.
The bishop said that the police and armed forces respond quickly to similar circumstances, but that “life and tranquility in our city are at risk.”
This item was first published by CNA’s Spanish-language news partner, ACI Prensa. CNA has translated and altered the document.