Colombian Defense Minister Resigns Amid Cabinet Crisis
Ivan Velazquez. X/ @elespectador
February 11, 2025 Hour: 8:53 am
The wave of resignations began after the cabinet meeting on Feb. 4, which was broadcast on television and social media.
On Tuesday, Colombian Defense Minister Ivan Velasquez submitted his irrevocable resignation amid the cabinet crisis of President Gustavo Petro.
RELATED:
Colombian President Petro Criticizes Ministers’ Attitude During Cabinet Meeting
Velasquez was the last remaining member of Petro’s original cabinet, as the only other two ministers in that category—Susana Muhamad, Minister of Environment and Sustainable Development, and Gloria Maria Ramirez, Minister of Labor—resigned on Sunday.
The wave of resignations began after the controversial cabinet meeting on February 4, which was broadcast on television and social media. During the meeting, divisions and tensions within the cabinet emerged following the appointment that same day of the controversial politician Armando Benedetti—who is facing corruption investigations—as Chief of Staff of the Presidency.
Following criticism of that appointment by Vice President and Minister of Equality Francia Marquez, who was supported by Muhamad and other high-ranking officials, resignations began the next day.
The first to resign were Jorge Rojas, Director of the Administrative Department of the Presidency and a close confidant of the president, and Culture Minister Juan David Correa. Later, the Presidency’s Legal Secretary, Paula Robledo, stepped down, followed by the Minister of Environment on Sunday, after which Petro decided to request the formal resignation of his entire cabinet.
Velasquez, a renowned jurist and human rights advocate, resigned amid a deterioration in the country’s security situation, which led to heavy criticism of his tenure as Defense Minister.
In recent months, attacks by the National Liberation Army (ELN) guerrilla group against security forces have intensified in the department of Arauca, while dissidents from the now-defunct Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) have launched assaults in the Catatumbo region, the department of Choco, and southern Bolivar. Meanwhile, the dissident groups have escalated their actions in the department of Cauca and other regions of the country, carrying out attacks against the Army and the Police.
Velasquez’s resignation comes a day after the resignation of Police Director Gen. William Salamanca, whose reasons for leaving the government were not disclosed. The resignations come as President Petro is traveling in the United Arab Emirates and Qatar, from where he is expected to return next weekend.
teleSUR/ JF Source: EFE
