The attack on Police Post No. 4 in the Naranjito colony, Ybyrarobaná district, Canindeyú department, on Tuesday night resulted in the execution of two police officers and a civilian, reigniting the debate on security and the presence of armed groups in northern Paraguay. The victims were identified as Sub-Officers Atilio Martínez Barrios, 40, and Herminio Ojeda González, 32, and civilian employee Josemar Escobar Piris, 38. The assailants set fire to the police post and vehicles before fleeing.
Interior Minister Enrique Riera confirmed that investigations, based on ballistic reports, point to the involvement of the Paraguayan People's Army (Ejército del Pueblo Paraguayo, EPP), an armed group. According to him, one of the weapons used was linked to a previous attack on a police station in Ybyrarobaná in May 2025. Riera stated the attack was a joint action by the EPP and other criminal groups in the region, suggesting a "new generation" of the group formed by relatives of former members.
However, there are disagreements within the security apparatus itself. While the government and the police command, led by César Silguero, maintain the EPP's responsibility, the commander of the Internal Defense Operations Command (Comando de Operaciones de Defensa Interna, CODI), General Alberto Gaona, urged caution and is keeping open hypotheses involving drug trafficking, organized crime, or armed peasant cells. Criminologist Juan Martens criticized the change in official versions in less than 24 hours, calling it improvisation that undermines the state's credibility.
Rural producers in the region expressed extreme concern. The company Agroganadera Pindó S.A. issued a statement demanding the state investigate a possible link between the attack and the criminal structures that, according to the company, have been invading its property for over a decade. Other cattle ranchers reported constant harassment and the presence of armed individuals identifying themselves as EPP.
Security analysts offered different readings. Epifanio Barreto argues that the modus operandi, including the theft of the victims' weapons and belongings, is characteristic of the EPP. On the other hand, former minister Cecilia Pérez and activist Beatriz Denis, daughter of former vice president Óscar Denis (kidnapped by the EPP in 2019), argued that the attack proves the group has not been weakened but has restructured and expanded its alliances, representing a failure in the security strategy.
The government promised a reassessment of the security forces' deployment in Canindeyú, including a possible reorganization and relocation of personnel to prevent police officers from being exposed in isolated and poorly equipped posts.