Major General Luis Emilio Cardozo took office this Friday as commander of the Colombian Army, after the Colombian president, Gustavo Petro, dismissed General Luis Mauricio Ospina, in the midst of the security crisis that the southwest of the country is experiencingwith repeated attacks by the Central General Staff (EMC) and a major military offensive against this FARC dissident.
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“From the hand of God, with the support of my family and my brave soldiers, I assume command of the National Army of all Colombians”swore General Cardozo, who has more than 35 years of experience in the Army and who has rejoined the institution to assume this position.
For his part, President Petro indicated that General Cardozo assumes this role “in moments that are undoubtedly difficult, as they have always been difficult”given that “Violence continues in Colombia at this time,” well “the promise of getting out of it has not been fulfilled in recent decades.”
“The conflict changes, it flows like rivers, but it does not rest. (…) Understanding this flow is fundamental to understanding the conflict,” pointed out the Colombian president, who added that “Building a path that overcomes violence in this country means destroying the illicit economies that flood many territories in Colombia”, such as drug trafficking and illegal mining. Furthermore, he pointed out unacceptable conduct such as “rifles and ammunition disappear from the garrisons“, which then serve “to kill the same soldiers”, well it is “self-destruct”and sent the new commander to “that no one is left involved in the Army in these maneuvers that end up killing the Army itself.”
“The neatness of the Government and the neatness of the public force must be placed above everything, any loss of conscience (…)”the president advised the new commander who is going to take charge of the “Army of life.”
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New commander of the Colombian Army takes office
General Cardozo, in charge of the ground force and under the command of the commander of the Military Forces, General Helder Fernán Giraldo, has an important task ahead of him marked by the operational that the armed forces carry out in the department of Caucay throughout the southwest of the country against the EMC.
The attacks by the main FARC dissidents in this area have intensified since March, when after an attack by the armed forces in which an indigenous leader was murdered, the Government suspended the bilateral ceasefire in the departments of Nariño, Valle del Cauca and Cauca.
The new commander of the Army, a native of the municipality of Yotoco, in Valle del Cauca, is a professional in Military Sciences from the General José María Córdova Military Cadet School, with a master’s degree in Security and Defense.
In his experience of more than 35 years in the Army, General Cardozo has been head of the Air Assault Aviation Division and Military Engineers commands, as well as commander of the Eighth Division, which operates in the east of the country. Besides, He must wash the position left by the dubious management of General Ospinaa nondescript commander, also appointed by Petro, who went almost unnoticed in important security decisions.
His name stood out, mainly, because of a scandal in which he was involved by supposedly doing illegal monitoring and interceptions to his wife’s English teacher, for which he linked him as an alleged member of the FARC dissidents.
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EFE
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