Last week, Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos said on two occasions that, in addition to the “black hand” of far-left violence – the FARC and ELN – there is another “black hand” on Colombia’s far right. The latter are, in Santos’s words, “those who don’t want victims to get reparations, who don’t want land restored to campesinos, those who also want to exaggerate insecurity in order to say ‘this...
Arauca
- The indigenous organization Ascatidar is suing the Armed Forces for the death of Humberto Peroza, a student who was killed during a fight between the Army and FARC guerillas in a rural zone in Arauca. A lawyer for the group has stated that the group considers Peroza's death to be a "false positive," or an extrajudicial execution in which the victim is falsely presented as a ...
Last week, Gil Kerlikowske, Director of National Drug Control Policy, released new data about coca cultivation in Colombia in 2010. According to the new estimates by the U.S. Government, "Colombia is holding the line against coca cultivation after major decreases in 2007 and 2008." In other words, coca cultivation in Colombia has hardly changed since 2008, when cultivation declined from 167,000 hectares under production in 2007 to 119,000 hectares in 2008. In 2010, 116,000 hectares were under...
Here is an overview of the principal "emerging criminal groups" in Colombia. The Colombian government refers to them as "Bacrim" (Bandas Criminales), and along with leftist guerrillas they are among the country's principal narcotraffickers. These groups are often called "new paramilitaries" because most are led by former mid-level commanders of the United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia (AUC), the paramilitary umbrella organization that underwent a formal demobilization in 2006.
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Chihuahua
- Federal Police announced the arrest of Juarez cartel leader Marco Guzman, known as “El Brad Pitt.” In reference to the bizarre nickname, a spokeswoman for the police explained, "it's a name given to the man by his associates. I guess they think he looks like him."
Districto Federal
- 11 police officers were ...