Drug trafficking violence rebounds in Colombia

Colombia returned to terror regarding the massacres in its countryside. In the past 11 days, 33 people have been killed under the authority of groups financed by drug trafficking. This happened after a relief came around, brought by the 2016 peace pact between the Colombian Government and leftist FARC rebels, to end the more than 50 years of conflict. 

Between Friday and Saturday, the authorities reported two massacres. In a country semi-paralyzed by the pandemic, 17 people are dead, and two are missing. Five of the victims died in Arauca, a municipality on the border of Venezuela. Six people died in Cauca’s department. Both are areas with great military presence.

This Saturday, the governor of Nariño, a neighboring province of Cauca, bordering Ecuador, also reported a massacre with six victims. Two people disappeared in the municipality of Tumaco, where a large amount of coca is present.

The recent flareup

According to Ivan Duque Marquez, between 2019 and 2020, events of such a nature totaled 34.

The most recent violence wave began on August 11, when five young people were the victims of murder in a sugarcane farming area in Cali.

The groups that have involvement in this spiral of violence are the ones that marginalized themselves from the peace agreement with the FARC.

The former guerrilla Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia fought against the state for more than 50 years. Drug trafficking gangs have been infinite fuel for violence in Colombia. 

The Government has also pointed to the National Liberation Army, ELN. This is the last sizable rebel force in Colombia, but its spokesmen have denied any responsibility.

The 2016 agreement significantly reduced violence. Analysts estimate that around 3,000 deaths have been avoided per year. However, the rebound in drug trafficking and the lack of effective control of the State’s vast territory have contributed to the return to the time of murders.