Colombia: President Gustavo Petro Says Thousands of Bullets and Grenades From Military Bases Have Gone Missing, May Have Been Sold to Haiti Gangs

Colombia seems to be having a massive problem as thousands of items in its military inventories, including bullets and grenades, have gone missing, as confirmed by President Gustavo Petro, who reckons these might have been sold to nefarious organizations.

According to Petro, an inspection that happened earlier this month found that hundreds of thousands of bullets, thousands of grenades, and 37 anti-tank missiles were stolen from two very specific bases. The first base was described to be found in the center of the country, while the second one is found near the Caribbean coast.

Petro said the stolen Colombian military bullets, grenades, and missiles ended up might have ended up in the hands of rebel groups. He added that there is also the possibility that they may have been sold illegally to criminal groups overseas, including the gangs slowly taking over Haiti.

"The only way to explain these missing items is that there are networks made up of people within the armed forces who are involved in the illegal arms trade," the Colombian president told reporters.

He added that the inspections of military bases would be continuing so they could "separate the armed forces from any type of criminal organization."

According to the Associated Press, these investigations are happening as Colombia returns to fighting the FARC splinter group known as the EMC in the country's southeast. The two sides tried to make peace but the peace talks have reportedly broken down.

Despite this, Petro is still trying to achieve "Total Peace" across Colombia as he tries to make peace with the various leftist rebel groups like the EMC and the ELN, as well as known drug syndicates like the Clan del Golfo.

Colombia, a Hub for the Illegal Arms Trade in South America and the Caribbean

The illegal arms trade is actually big in Colombia, with all its rebel groups and the other armed conflicts happening near the country. However, a previous report has shown that the weapons illegally being sold in the country that were confiscated by authorities between 2021 and 2022 were actually manufactured legally in the United States and Europe.

The majority of these weapons come from the United States, according to Colombia Reports, though other military-grade weapons that end up in the hands of illegal armed groups also come from Belgium, France, Spain, Germany, Hungary, and Russia.

Initially, these weapons and bullets that end up in Colombia are shipped from their country of origin to Panama and the Dominican Republic, They are then shipped to Colombia where these weapons and ammunition are sold.

Colombia Recently Stopped Purchasing Weapons From Israel in Protest

While many of the weapons in Columbia are there illegally, the Colombian military actually purchases their weapons legally from other countries. Recently, however, the country stopped buying weapons and bullets from Israel.

Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs Francisco J. Coy spoke with Turkish news site, AA, and stated that the "very difficult" decision was over Israel's attacks against Gaza and killing thousands of civilians.

"I'm sure our minister of defense will have an alternative to that. I know that there are a lot of countries providing weapons, and security technologies, for example, Türkiye," said the Colombian minister.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

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