Caracas, July 22, 2003
Héctor Turuhpial Cariello (*)
The regime of Hugo Chavez (Venezuelan president) has been working in accelerated mode to consolidate a Para-institutional infrastructure of Power that will allow Venezuela to become the Latin American platform for subversion, reducing the country to a simple corral for training subversive activity and terrorists from Colombia, Peru, Cuba and the Middle East.
Political parties from the opposition and, from the Democratic Coordinator in particular, have failed to understand what is perfectly clear to the general public:
that in a regime that is basically totalitarian in its essence, there is no room for the dialectic government-opposition that is a fundamental principle of the political dynamics that needs to occur within democratic systems. As a result of this, political opposition to the current regime continues to work out of touch with reality, trying to protect its political interests aimed at obtaining legitimate institutional representative Power through an electoral process. Meanwhile the current regime systematically undermines existing democratic institutions and empties them of any capacity to exercise legitimate Power.
The Inside Frontiers Plan has been prepared by Chavez, the Venezuelan military high command, Marulanda and El Gavino (respectively leaders of the FARC and the ELN), and approved by Fidel Castro. It basically consists of a programmed invasion and occupation of the strategic military and economic zones of Venezuelan by part of Colombian terrorist groups – FARC & ELN – in a forward thrusting or “sweeping” movement starting from the border with Colombia and pushing its way to the central Venezuelan states. This movement has various phases which have already been executed and which are as follows:
1. Occupation of large extensions of territory along the border (with Colombia) which are either privately owned or public lands. These territories are controlled by military personnel loyal to the Plan and have been accomplished by a mix of invasion, confiscation and expropriations of lands. Also effectively used to accomplish this has been the control and selective access to production by way of imposing employment quotas and limiting the use of machinery. The objective of these measures and actions has been to reduce these areas to zones of discontent and ideological training as well as for refreshment and mobility of terrorist groups which require base camps needed to support their advance further inside the country.
2. Penetration of rural and urban populations for conducting “little school work” or ideological training through communal work, with the intention of obtaining financial support, sources of information, effective mail boxes, “follow up” work, informant networks and influencing of votes during elections to designate local authorities. The Robinson Plan and the Barrio Adentro (Inside Shantytown) Plan are facades that are examples of these activities, allowing the recruiting of personnel (called anomic subjects) needed for these ideological training projects.
3. Control or acquisition of industries, local agriculture, fisheries, manufacturing and industrial.
These three phases mentioned before are already sufficiently consolidated in the states of Amazonas, Apure, Barinas, Táchira, Mérida and Zulia, and are making excellent progress in the states of Falcón, Lara, Portuguesa, Nueva Esparta and Anzoátegui.
The short term objectives of the Inside Frontiers Plan are the neutralization of the Armed Forces as a democratic institution, preparing its fusion or integration subordinate to the militias controlled by a joint command FARC-Cuban Army-Chavist Military loyalists. The process of neutralization will disable the Armed Forced to operate as an institution having any type of democratic connotation. Finally, and within no more than one year of achieving this control, the de facto declaration of a totalitarian regime in Venezuela.
As support to the Interior Frontiers Plan, current theatres of operations No.1 & 2 (No 1. headquartered in Guasdualito and commanded by Division General Acosta Perez, with responsibility for all the Alto Apure region, and No. 2 headquartered in La Fria and commanded by General Warrick Blanco, with coverage of the frontier regions of the states of Táchira and Zulia), will forward all intelligence and operational reports to the Military HQ (Casa Militar), through which the president and his intelligence chief will approve only those operations against the Autodefensas Unidas Colombianas (AUC).
The guerrilla penetration by part of the Colombian terrorist groups are initiated from the Colombian departments of Goajira, Cesar, Norte de Santander, Arauca, Vichada and Güinía, and encompass the following fronts:
1. FARC: Is operating along the frontier with Venezuela with 7 operation centers that supply the beach-heads within Venezuelan territory.
Front 16 Rafael Malagon (Amazonas and part of Apure states): Vanguard and logistical front of the FARC. Commanded initially by “Esteban”, followed by Negro Acacio and currently by Ruben Zamora. This front is in charge of training the members of the Chavist subversive organization called “Coordinadora Simon Bolivar”. It is this group that supplies the urban cells that have been active in Caracas and in other areas in the Miranda state. During a clash with the Colombian army, “Esteban” died along with his wife nicknamed “La Grilla”. Also captured were various young people that were receiving training and indoctrination at the time. The Front is mobile between the Colombian town of Puerto Carreno and Puerto Paez, populated centers of Urupe, Cariben, La Estacion, San Carlos del Meta, Guanitas, Parquito, Santa Maria, Mata de Guanabano, Los Malabares, Buena Vista, El Yopito and Santa Elena, among others.
Front 10 Guadalupe Salcedo (states of Apure, Tachira and the Lengueta de Barinas): Comprised of 3 commissions – central commission, financial commission, military commission. The military commission is, in turn, comprised of 5 companies, each with about 50 combatants. Their area of influence extends from the population of Puerto Infante, Elorza, Totumitos, Guasdualito, La Trinidad de Orichuna, El Amparo (with significant presence in the urban sectors El Gamero, Caucaguitas and El Diamante), Bella Vista, El Trompillo, Pueblo Nuevo, Palmarito, Guaimaral, Vuelta Redonda, La Capilla, Guafitas, Las Americas, Santa Rosa, Balzar I,II and III, Las Monas, Bocas de Río Viejo, Las Canoas, La Osa, Caño Gaital, El Rincón, El Ripial, La Victoria, La Soledad, Los Caracaros, Cutufí, Chorrosquero, Río Grande, La Ceiba, El Jordán, Maracay and the jurisdiction of the Lengueta de Barinas, La Ceibita, Caño Amarillo and Rancho e' Cuero.
Currently maintains close logistical and operational contact with the Frente Bolivariano de Liberacion (FBL), directed by Adam Chavez and Rodriguez Chacin. Its operational epicentre begins in Chorrosquero and takes firm hold in the wood areas of Ticoporo and Socopo. The FBL has already established a presence in the states of Barinas, Apure, Merida and Tachira, and has displaced the activities of other subversive organizations in these areas as relates to extortion and kidnapping.
Front 45 Atansio Girardot: Comprised by a contingency of approximately 100 men and organized in four commissions. Its area of operations in Venezuela overlaps with the areas that are also part of Front Guadalupe Salcedo. Additionally, it also operates in the following populated areas: El Nula, Cutufí del estado Apure, El Jordan, El Taladro, Puerto Tetéo, Burga Arriba, Burgo Abajo, Quebrada Grande, Naranjales, El Piñal, La Morita, Isla de Betancourt, El Milagro, Abejales, San Lorenzo, Chururu, Los Naranjos, Río Frío, Río Negro, Palmar de la Cope, San Josesito I, II, III, El Corzo and San Cristóbal of the state of Tachira, El Cantón, Guacas de Ribera, Macagua, Topochales, Tres Esquinas and Puerto Vivas of the state of Barinas.
The Finance Commission of Front 45 known as “Frontier Command” operates along the border zone of the state of Apure, and is in charge of the economy and financial management for this sector.
Front number 20 (state of Tachira): Composed of an armed contingent of approximately 120, with an area of influence in the following locations: Betania, Villa Páez, San Vicente de La Rebancha, El Tabor, Delicias, El Oasis, Alto Viento, El Pabellón, Novilleros, San Agustín, Sabana Potrera, San Antonio del Táchira, Palotal, Tineditas, Ureña and La Mulata of the state of Táchira.
Front 33, Mariscal Antonio Jose de Sucre (state of Zulia): Has a contingent of approximately 180 combatant. Its area of operations in Venezuela includes the following populations and regions: The city of San Juan de Colón and its surrounding populated areas, La Popa, La Laja, La Rusia, Los Palmares, Guaramito, San Félix, San Pedro del Río and surrounding, La Fría, Mesas de Seboruco, Tres Islas, Boca de Rita, Orope, Castellón, Umuquena, Coloncito, Boconó and La Tendida of the state of Táchira, El Guayabo, Casigua, Tres Bocas, El Tarra, Mi Ranchito, El Cruce and El Catatumbo of the state of Zulia.
Front 21, 26 of September: Approximately 150 combatants with operations in the areas of Serranías del Tocuco, Municipio de Perijá, Machiques, Aricuaiza and Las Cruces. This is th e front that protects cocaine, poppy and marihuana cultivation taking place in Altos de Tocuco Serranías de Perija and works jointly with the Camilo Restrepo Front of the ELN in protection of all narcotics traffic in these areas.
Front 41 Cacique Upar: 180 combatants with influence in the territory of the municipality of Perijá, Machiques, La Villa, Puerto Cabello, Cinamaica, El Moján, Paraguachó and part of the Venezuelan Goajira. In the Goajira they currently control the traffic of arms that the regime has acquired and distrubtes these amongst ethnic goajiro groups and members of subversive organizations.
ELN: Various cells and subversive groups that operate in the state of Zulia were discovered in the so called Opearcion Camello which highlighted the degree of penetration of the ELN in this state. It also shed light to a large part of the membership within this network. One of the principal objectives of this network is to foster arms contraband coming from Colombia, coming through the border checkpoints of Paraguacho, Guarero and Rio Limon. It has also taken over other mobile checkpoints along the route in sectors of Paraguaipoa, El Moján, Nueva Lucha, Santa Ruz, all the way to and across the city of Maracaibo up to the checkpoint at the bridge Rafael Urdaneta.
The organized activity using public resources that has had the most intense infiltration and penetration by the ELN in the state of Zulia took place during the mandate of the local governor Arias Cardenas. During this time “El Gavino” and “Tito” had free mobility within the state, where they established operational bases and networks of collaboration, including the infiltration of GOES (Special Forces PEZ), with the presence therein of Augusto Fidel Hoyos Camacho.
The presence of the ELN in the state of Zulia and in sector of the state of Tachira is cemented through the so called Cuadrillas Domingo Lain Saenz and Efrain Pabon Pabon. The former includes the commissions of Camilo Cienfuegos (60 men), Omaira Montoiya Henao (45 men), Rafael Villamizar (35 men) and Pomares amongst others. The latter includes the commissions June the 18th and Che. Additionally they have the unanimous support of the army (“entrompe”) known as “Simacota Company”, which is partitioned in three troop groups and a service unit. Each one of these three groups with 27 men.
(*) Renowned lawyer, defending a group of DISIP officers that were laid off by the current government tracing back to actions that occurred April 11, 2002.
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