ALERT: Ammunition stolen from the Colombian army could be sold in Haiti, President Gustavo Petro said.
The Head of State of Colombia, Gustavo Petro, after carrying out two inspections in military bases in the country, revealed yesterday Tuesday that more than a million projectiles and ammunition have been lost. According to information reported by the newspaper EFE Noticias, the Colombian president indicated that these stolen munitions could be sold to Colombian armed groups and smuggled into Haiti, a country facing an escalation of violence from armed gangs.
“The only way to explain this type of shortage is that networks composed of military and civilians are dedicated to the massive arms trade using the legal weapons of the Colombian state,” said the Colombian president, emphasizing that the Networks that allegedly stole the weapons sold them “to armed groups in Colombia” or possibly used them “in foreign conflicts, the closest being Haiti.”
According to Gustavo Petro, the Tolemaida Fort, located in the central department of Tolima, was missing: 746 81-millimeter grenades, 3,712 M-26 hand grenades, 2,880 40-millimeter grenades, 1,590 60-millimeter grenades, 797 40-millimeter chain link grenades, 8,203 rounds of 7.62 caliber ammunition, 41,745 rounds of 5.56 caliber rounds, 131,577 rounds of 7.62 caliber rounds and 626,614 rounds of 5.56 caliber rounds.
At the base of the 10th Army Brigade, in the north of the country, upon inspection, they did not find “two Spike missiles, 37 Nimrod missiles (both Israeli-made), 550 RPG rockets, 22 grenades of 155 millimeters, 621 106-millimeter grenades, 1,077 105-millimeter howitzers, 1,077 90-millimeter grenades, 960 81-millimeter grenades” and “1,218 60-millimeter grenades.”
Also missing from the depots are “4,171 40-millimeter grenades, 24 40-millimeter L70HE caliber rounds, 1,494 40-millimeter chain link grenades, 3,694 M-26 hand grenades, 17,456 anti-tank charges, 22,293 .50 TAP anti-tank charges, 330,419 7.62 caliber Slap ammunition, 9,829 162 caliber ammunition, 761,551 5.56 caliber ammunition, 57,992 5.56 Slap caliber ammunition and 1,262 .38 special caliber ammunition .
It should also be remembered that Haiti is “a few hours by speed boat” from the Brigade 10 base, located in the Colombian Caribbean region.
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