Powerful military forces have launched an offensive against rebels of the so-called Central General Staff (Estado Mayor Central / EMC)— a dissident faction of the former FARC (Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia / Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia)—in the El Platado region of central Colombia, as it was announced by the country’s president Gustavos Petros.

The operation codenamed “Perseus” began at dawn. Fierce clashes raged in the morning, with EMC rebels using drones to target government troops. 

A strong military force has been deployed in the area, with artillery and armored vehicles supported by helicopters and fighter jets. In July, the military launched an offensive in the area after a drone attack killed a child and injured six others.

The community of El Plateado is an EMC stronghold in the Micai Canyon, where there are many coca crops, and is considered a strategic location for the cocaine cartels.

The rebels of the so-called Central General Staff (Estado Mayor Central / EMC)— a dissident faction of the former FARC (Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia / Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia)— called on international delegations not to attend the 16th UN Conference on Biodiversity (COP16), which begins on October 21 in the city of Cali in southwestern Colombia, due to the large-scale attack they have been receiving in recent hours by the Colombian army.

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