Resurgence of paramilitary violence in Colombia as peace deal nears.
| Autor | Gaudin, Andres |
Just as the Colombian people, thanks to painstaking negotiations between the government and the Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia (FARC) guerrilla army, are beginning to envision an end to the country's half-century-long civil war, extreme-right paramilitary groups that have played a parallel role in the conflict are again engaging in major acts of violence.
In an apparent response to a successful anti-drug operation by state security forces, Los Urabenos --a paramilitary group that has been active in the northeast of the country since the 1990s and now goes by the name Clan Usuga, in reference to its leader, Dario Usuga--launched an offensive against police officers and their families. The campaign began in late March with a wave of killings and an "armed strike" (paro armado) between March 31 and April 1 that terrorized residents in 36 communities in the northeast, in eight of the country's 32 departments.
The timing of the onslaught, right when the government and the FARC had planned to sign a definitive peace accord that would have entailed an immediate and bilateral ceasefire, could hardly have been a coincidence. The signing, set for March 23, ended up being delayed, not because of the actions of the Urabenos or a breakdown in the negotiations, but because the two sides still needed to agree on certain details regarding the demobilization of rebel fighters. It is clear, nevertheless, that opponents of the peace process are trying to make sure the talks, underway in Havana, Cuba since November 2012, collapse at the last minute (NotiSur, Jan. 9, 2015).
On Feb. 29, several weeks before the wave of killings and the armed strike, authorities arrested landowner Santiago Uribe, younger brother of former President Alvaro Uribe (2002-2010). The Fiscalia General, Colombia's national prosecutor's office, says it has extensive evidence linking Santiago Uribe to Los 12 Apostoles, a paramilitary group dedicated almost exclusively to drug trafficking. The Uribes have another brother, a cousin, a sister-in-law, and a niece accused of, or already jailed for, drug trafficking.
The former president and his Centro Democratico, outspoken critics of the peace process, organized a series of protest marches that took place April 2 in various cities. Over the course of the day, six police officers were murdered, allegedly by paramilitaries who were offered up to US$7,000 per victim. The government was quick to counter. On April 3, it announced the...
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