Four dead in San Ignacio de Velasco: prayer service and military deployment
Four people died in armed attacks in less than 24 hours in San Ignacio de Velasco. Authorities have convened a prayer service and mobilised the Armed Forces.
Wave of violence shakes San Ignacio de Velasco: prayer and military in response
Four people died as a result of armed attacks within a period of just over 24 hours in the municipality of San Ignacio de Velasco, in Santa Cruz. This was reported by El Deber, which also reported the convening of a prayer service for this Saturday, 19 September in the town's main square.
The gathering is scheduled to begin at 9:30 in the morning, with the prayer service at 10:00. The Municipality of San Ignacio de Velasco is leading the call, which responds directly to the wave of violence, executions and contract killings recorded in the past week. "Let us pray together for peace, security and for a better tomorrow for San Ignacio de Velasco," states the official convening notice.
María René Álvarez, president of the Departmental Legislative Assembly (ALD) of Santa Cruz, backed the event. "We Ignacianos are a people of deep Catholic and Christian faith. For this reason, this Saturday we will unite in prayer to ask for peace and security in our beloved town," Álvarez stated.
Faced with the escalation of violence, the Ministry of Defence ordered the deployment of the Armed Forces (FF.AA.) in the streets of the municipality to support the Police in controls and operations. Defence Minister Ernesto Justiniano confirmed that the Secure Border plan continues to be in execution, but that the persistence of violent acts by rival criminal factions motivated the decision to reinforce the military presence.
"We have seen what happened yesterday, it has been very shocking, which is why we have spoken with the commander of the Armed Forces so that today our military presence increases," Justiniano said in an interview with Influyentes de El Deber.
Source: El Deber