Colombia President Ivan Duque’s Helicopter Hit by Gunfire Near Venezuela Border

A helicopter carrying Colombia's President Ivan Duque was hit by gunfire while the aircraft was flying near the border with Venezuela on Friday, June 25.

According to BBC News, Ivan Duque was flying through Colombia's Catatumbo region toward Cucuta in the Norte de Santander province.

Along with Duque were Defense Minister Diego Molano, Interior Minister Daniel Palacios, and the province's governor, Silvano Serrano. A spokesman for the president said nobody was hurt in the gunfire incident.

Ivan Duque described the incident as a cowardly attack, adding that he was not frightened by violence or acts of terrorism.

He noted that the state of Colombia is strong to confront this kind of threat. He added that security forces are under orders to find those responsible for the attack.

Local media reported that the occupants heard a noise as if something had hit the engine just as the helicopter was about to land.

The presidential aircraft was seen with six bullet holes while the crew got around the situation. According to the local newspaper Semana, the officers in charge of transporting the president were able to land successfully in Cucuta.

Colombia's Border With Venezuela

The region of Catatumbo, which spans the Colombian-Venezuelan border, is home to extensive coca crops, the chief ingredient of cocaine.

It is also where guerillas of the leftist National Liberation Army (ELN) operate, and former FARC fighters who rejected a 2016 peace deal with the government.

Reuters reported that armed criminal groups involved in drug trafficking were also known to operate in the area.

ELN was allegedly behind the car bombing attack at a military base last month. The incident had injured some Colombian troops and U.S. military advisers.

Colombia's Ivan Duque Faces Mass Protests

More than 50 people have already died from a series of protests that started to flood the streets of Colombia last April.

Protesters have blocked key roads leading to shortages of fuel and food in some areas. There also have been clashes between the security forces and demonstrators, according to another BBC News report.

The protests had started when Ivan Duque proposed a set of tax hikes. The Colombian president had already withdrawn the tax proposal.

However, protest leaders have promised more action later this year if the government does not meet a set of their economic demands, Forbes reported.

The government argued that the reform was key to softening the blow to Colombia's economic crisis. It would have lowered the threshold at which salaries are taxed, affecting anyone with a monthly income of 2.6 million pesos or more.

It would also eliminate many of the current exemptions experienced by individuals. The reform would also increase taxes imposed on businesses.

The first rallies were organized by the country's biggest trade unions and joined by many middle-class people, who feared that the changes could see them slip into the poverty line.

Human rights groups reported that the police had not only used tear gas to disperse demonstrators. They said that law enforcement officials have also used live ammunition in some cases.

One of the issues that the protesters are raising were the actions of the riot police. United Nations human rights chief, Michelle Bachelet, urged the Colombian government to start an independent probe on the deaths of protesters in the city of Cali.

WATCH: Violent Protests Erupt Across Colombia Over Tax Reform Outrage - From Global News