The Colombian president Abelardo de la Espriella launched the military and police campaign called 'Esparta' this Tuesday from Cúcuta, the capital of the Norte de Santander department, on the border with Venezuela, with the aim of regaining territorial control of the State against illegal armed groups operating in the region.
According to a report from the EFE agency, the president chaired an extraordinary security council in that city —about 570 kilometers from Bogotá— where he announced the operation to military and police commanders. "Today here in Cúcuta, the military and police campaign 'Esparta' begins, a crucial operation to regain security and restore the legitimate authority of the Colombian state," De la Espriella stated.
The president framed the initiative as part of a broader strategy: “This campaign is part of the national offensive that I have ordered against the narcoterrorist organizations operating in various regions of the homeland.”
The main players in the operation are the ELN, the Frente 33 of the FARC dissidents, and other criminal organizations vying for territorial control and illegal economies in Catatumbo and the border area with Venezuela.
The Minister of Defense, General (r) Jorge Eduardo Mora, detailed that the campaign will include approximately 1,200 members of the Army and Police, although other journalistic reports raise the total number of uniformed personnel deployed across Norte de Santander, Catatumbo, and Cúcuta to more than 10,000.
Mora also announced the upcoming arrival of Marine infantry units to strengthen control over the main rivers in the department, as well as the incorporation of anti-drone equipment in response to the use of these devices by illegal armed groups.
He also confirmed the activation of the Urban Security Operational Block (Bosur) in Cúcuta to conduct operations against criminal structures and high-impact crimes in the city.
The results of the first night were immediate: Operation Nemesis intervened in eight communes of Cúcuta and reported 109 arrests.
The 'Esparta' campaign comes after a surge of violence that shook the region during the last weeks of October. On the 26th of that month, Miguel Castellanos, former Secretary of Government of Cúcuta and a candidate for Mayor in 2027, was murdered while traveling in a truck with his 12-year-old son. One day later, an explosive device detonated near the Francisco de Paula Santander international bridge, which connects Cúcuta with Ureña in Venezuela, leaving between six and seven injured.
In light of that spiral of violence, De la Espriella had already ordered the immediate militarization of Cúcuta on October 29. The 'Esparta' campaign represents the formalization and expansion of that initial response.
The regional context adds another dimension to the operation. At the end of October, the Venezuelan Armed Forces reportedly used drones to bomb an ELN camp in the state of Apure, near the Colombian border, in an incident reported by the non-governmental organization Fundaredes, with figures ranging from nine to 23 dead.
The Venezuelan government did not officially confirm the attack, and Colombian authorities denied any involvement in the operation conducted in Venezuelan territory. A report from the New York Times indicated that the United States may have provided intelligence and drones for that bombing, a claim that was also not publicly confirmed by Washington.
From his social media, De la Espriella firmly summarized his stance: "I will not take a step back in the fight against crime and narco-terrorism! Norte de Santander deserves to live without fear."
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