Paraguay’s Interior Minister Enrique Riera said his term in office will end with the elimination of the armed group Paraguayan People’s Army (EPP) and the location of the three abducted people who remain missing: noncommissioned officer Edelio Morínigo, cattle rancher Félix Urbieta and former Vice President Óscar Denis. In an interview with Radio 650 AM, Riera said security forces were close to capturing EPP members and that the government had confidential information about the group’s whereabouts. These claims were made by the minister and have not been independently established.
“We have had enough information to control their movements for some time. That is my objective, and I promised the families of those kidnapped,” Riera said. He also said members of the Villalba clan, linked to the EPP, fled Argentina in 2024 after losing their refugee status and are currently in Venezuela. According to Riera, the clan members have information about the missing people. “The Villalba women know where they are, but Venezuela’s situation makes it difficult to find channels to bring them to Paraguay. We have located them three times, and the second group, which operates in the jungle, knows as well. We believe it is possible to detain them,” he said.
The statements came on the same day Paraguay marked the 10th anniversary of the Arroyito Massacre, one of the most violent attacks attributed to the EPP. On August 27, 2016, eight military personnel from the Internal Defense Operations Command (CODI) were ambushed and killed in the Concepción region. Former Interior Minister Francisco de Vargas, who led the ministry at the time, warned that the group still retains operational capacity and that periods without attacks can create a false sense of security.
“As long as the EPP has not been eliminated, the attacks will continue. Security forces cannot let their guard down, even after long periods without incidents,” De Vargas said in an interview with Radio 1020 AM. He advocated greater investment in technology and training for security institutions, as well as making units such as CODI and the Joint Task Force (FTC), which is responsible for operations against organized crime in the country’s north, permanent.
The contrast between the statements is clear: Riera promises to defeat the EPP, while De Vargas warns that the group retains operational capacity. The policy consequence identified by De Vargas is continued investment in technology and training, along with maintaining CODI and the FTC as permanent units. The EPP is accused of a series of kidnappings and attacks in northern Paraguay, where it maintains influence. Morínigo was kidnapped in July 2014, while Urbieta and Denis disappeared in 2016 and 2020, respectively. Their families remain without information about their whereabouts.