Militarisation of Cúcuta ordered by De la Espriella following assassination of mayoral candidate
The Colombian president ordered the militarisation of Cúcuta following the assassination of a mayoral candidate and a drone attack by the ELN.
Cúcuta under military control following wave of violence at Venezuela border
The president of Colombia, Abelardo de la Espriella, ordered on Thursday 29 October 2026 the temporary militarisation of Cúcuta, capital of the North Santander department and the main border city with Venezuela, according to primicias.ec. The measure comes days after the assassination of a candidate for the mayoral office in that locality.
"I order the immediate militarisation of Cúcuta. It will be temporary whilst we stabilise public order," declared De la Espriella. The president added that the National Police and the Army will be deployed in the city, without specifying the number of uniformed personnel who will participate in the operation.
From 3 November, the measure will be complemented by the deployment of Operation Sparta and the Urban Security Operations Block (BOSUR), whose stated objective is to recover territorial control, dismantle criminal structures and strike at their sources of funding.
Wave of violence and explosive attacks
In the days preceding the presidential order, Cúcuta registered several episodes of violence attributed to illegal groups. An attack with explosives left four police officers wounded. The same Thursday, an explosive drone attack—attributed by the local government to the National Liberation Army (ELN)—caused injuries to three civilians.
According to local authorities, the ELN and dissidents of the defunct FARC operate in the region, locked in conflict with each other over control of drug trafficking and illegal mining. The border zone with Venezuela is historically one of the principal strongholds of these armed groups.
De la Espriella announced that the following week he would travel personally to Cúcuta to verify compliance with the orders and evaluate operational progress, demanding coordination between the Armed Forces, the National Police and territorial authorities.
Context: the worst violence crisis in a decade
The militarisation of Cúcuta is part of what primicias.ec describes as the worst violence crisis of the last decade in Colombia. In parallel, De la Espriella's government is promoting an offensive through bombardments against guerrilla camps, operations that have already resulted in dozens of deaths, including at least eight minors.
"Cúcuta and North Santander are not alone. We will not cede a single centimetre of our Homeland to terrorism," affirmed the president in an official statement, in which he instructed the Defence Minister and the leadership of the Public Force to execute the measure immediately.
The use of explosive drones by illegal groups has increased in the region. Their presence generates fear among the civilian population, which frequently finds itself caught in the crossfire between armed structures and state forces.
Source: Google News CO — Crime