Colombia orders curfew in Arauca after bombing

english.eastday.com

Colombian authorities declared a curfew in the northeastern province of Arauca on Sunday after rebels dynamited an electrical transmission line there.

The provincial governor Oscar Munoz said that mayors have been instructed to take appropriate security measures, one of which is to impose a curfew.

But the capital city of Arauca was not included, Munoz added.

Arauca, a province bordering Venezuela, is one of the most violent areas in Colombia. There are several rebel groups operating there, including the National Liberation Army (ELN) and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC).

Police blamed both leftist groups for the attack late Saturday.

The area will be without electricity for about four days, authorities said.

Colombia has been ravaged by a four-decades-old civil war. The conflict kills about 3,500 people every year, most of them civilians.

President Alvaro Uribe, who took office last August, has vowed to step up the crackdown on illegal armed groups. He declared special security zones in Arauca, sent more government troops there and appointed a hard-liner as governor, in his efforts to bring security to the province.

Xinhua News