De la Espriella launches crackdown on Colombia cocaine militias as 99 ex-fighters await fate
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Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella has ordered operations against at least three illegal armed groups since taking office Aug. 7. The 86 men and 13 women who demobilized under the previous government's Total Peace initiative remain in a camp near the Ecuador border awaiting a decision on their civilian future.
Key Facts
- An estimated 29,000 members of cocaine-funded armed groups operate in Colombia, while the 86 men and 13 women at the camp near the Ecuador border are the only former fighters to demobilize under the Total Peace initiative.
- President Abelardo de la Espriella and the Trump administration have dismissed the Total Peace process as a sham, and De la Espriella is dismantling the approach of his predecessor Gustavo Petro.
- On Aug. 10, Colombian armed forces killed two alleged ELN guerrillas in a raid near the Venezuelan border; days later, an ELN drone attack in the same region killed at least one soldier and injured others.
- Colombia's strongest earthquake in half a century caused an estimated $10 billion of damage last week.
- De la Espriella won the presidency narrowly, and almost half of voters backed a rival who wanted to continue peace negotiations.
Demobilized Fighters
The 86 men and 13 women are living in a cluster of low-slung buildings a few miles north of the Ecuador border, where the previous government promised six months of job training, medical treatment and other support before their return home. They are the only fighters to demobilize under Colombia's four-year Total Peace initiative, an effort to persuade an estimated 29,000 members of cocaine-funded armed groups to lay down their weapons. Darwin Cuajiboy, 32, a former member of the Comandos de la Frontera militia who has lived at the site since June, said: 'We showed the state we were able to put down our weapons.' He added: 'We're worried the government that's taking power might say it's all over.' De la Espriella and the Trump administration have dismissed the peace process as a sham, and the new president is dismantling the approach of his leftist predecessor, Gustavo Petro.
Military Operations
Since taking office Aug. 7, De la Espriella has ordered operations against at least three illegal armed groups. In a raid near the Venezuelan border Aug. 10, the armed forces said they killed two alleged members of the ELN guerrilla force. Days later, the rebels struck back with a drone attack in the same region, killing at least one soldier and injuring others. Investors are trying to gauge whether the crackdown is good news for the oil industry and other sectors held back by the conflict, and how much support Colombia can expect from the US.
Fiscal and Political Pressure
Colombia's government was cash-strapped even before the earthquake hit. The earthquake was the nation's strongest in half a century and caused an estimated $10 billion in damage last week. De la Espriella's narrow victory means almost half of voters backed a rival who wanted to continue peace negotiations.
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De la Espriella launches crackdown on Colombia cocaine militias as 99 ex-fighters await fate
