Juan Alfredo Qüenza, mayor of the municipality of Arauca, directed severe criticisms at Gustavo Petro and his administration during an appearance on Revista Semana’s El Debate regarding the situation in the region and the lack of support received.
Confronting the National Government Over Security Failures
Qüenza stated that the administration focused on digital discourse rather than regional governance, leaving Arauca to manage surging local conflicts entirely on its own. “Petro did not dedicate himself to governing, but to fighting on X, and he left us no investments,” Qüenza said during the broadcast. He recounted warning the president publicly that peace dialogues needed to take place directly within the affected territories to remain viable.
From the mayor’s perspective, the negotiation framework ultimately served to empower armed organizations, specifically naming the National Liberation Army (ELN) and FARC dissidents. Because state-level security policies failed to yield results, municipal authorities were forced to absorb 100 percent of the responsibility for safeguarding the city. “The Petro government here did not make a single investment in security issues,” Qüenza asserted.
Local Funding and Direct Intervention by the Municipality
Faced with a lack of backing from national and departmental offices, the municipal administration of Arauca stepped in to finance tactical equipment independently. Utilizing funds from the local security budget, known as the 4/18 fund, the administration acquired radios, ballistic vests, armor, motorcycles, and transport vehicles.
Qüenza noted that the city utilized its own resources to deliver 20 motorcycles to the National Army, alongside the only anti-drone rifle operated by the Navy in the region. Furthermore, the municipality is currently implementing facial and license plate recognition cameras valued at 2,000 million pesos to bolster urban surveillance.
To address tactical readiness on the ground, Qüenza bypassed traditional administrative channels and met directly with military commanders stationed in the department. He delivered a clear ultimatum regarding operational discipline and nighttime visibility. “I told them: ‘You work for us or we request a change of the military leadership, because here we came to work and not to quarter ourselves or sleep during the night hours, which is when we most need the presence of the Public Force,’” he said.
Following these directives, authorities coordinated joint patrols across different local agencies. According to the mayor’s assessment, these localized security measures have successfully improved public perception and safety figures across Arauca, even as broader regional challenges persist.
