A/HRC/45/CRP.11 1175. The operational details of Plan Rondón were discussed among military commanders five days before the troop deployment to the area, in a meeting held in Caracas at La Carlota Airport on 2 October 2016. Aerial reconnaissance was carried out throughout the Barlovento area in order to show each commander his area of responsibility.2078 Events in Barlovento 1176. On 7 October 2016, military officials arrived in Barlovento from other regions. The contingent included soldiers from the 323 Caribbean Battalion “José María Camacaro Rojas” based in Cumaná, state of Sucre (over a four-hour drive to the Barlovento region).2079 Troops arrived in El Café town in Acevedo municipality. They stationed themselves in a building at the entrance to El Café. From the base in El Café, the troops conducted raids in different parts of Barlovento over the next 10 days, although they remained in the region for over a month.2080 1177. Another contingent of soldiers belonging to the 321 Caribbean Battalion “Major General Pedro Zaraza” based in Barcelona, Anzoátegui, also arrived on 7 October 2016 and stationed themselves at La Bloquera, Alfarería Bell (a provisional and semi-abandoned sandpit that was created for the construction of the Caucagua - Higuerote highway), in Caucagua parish, Acevedo municipality. 1178. Both military units were instructed to work quickly to clear criminal gangs from the area.2081 Two sources with knowledge of the operation informed the Mission that the order of the operation was given by President Maduro, through the Minister of the Interior, Néstor Reverol and the Minister of Defence, General Padrino López.2082 Major General Álvarez Bellorín reassured military commanders that they had the full support of other high-level Government officials.2083 2078 2079 2080 2081 2082 2083 230 Document C4FF07 on file with the Mission. Public Prosecutor´s Office, Barlovento: informe sobre víctimas y hechos ocurridos en Barlovento: masacre a 12 personas, February 2017, p. 11, available at: https://lortegadiaz.com/wpcontent/uploads/2017/12/barlovento-ultima-version4-16-05-2017.pdf Efecto Cocuyo, El luto de un municipio en Barlovento tras una operación militar, 12 December 2016, available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n0pl52VZx_0. Document C4FF07 on file with the Mission. Mission Interview C4FF10 in May 2020 and Document C4FF07 on file with the Mission. Document C4FF07 on file with the Mission.