Santa Marta, a coastal city with nearly 570,000 inhabitants, has been gripped by tension since Tuesday. This came after a 13-hour security force operation during which 13 members of the paramilitary group Autodefensas Conquistadoras de la Sierra Nevada (ACSN) were killed, including one of its leaders. ACSN is a far-right group that controls drug trafficking routes and engages in extortion.
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Colombian President Abelardo de la Esperanza ordered the deployment of the army to this northern city on the Caribbean coast in response to attacks that struck shops and vehicles following the security force operation against a local armed group. In a video message, he stressed that “these bandits claim they have set fire to a large part of the Caribbean coast, starting with Santa Marta, where they threatened merchants, residents, and transporters.”
De la Esperanza clarified that he has “ordered (…) the immediate reinforcement of the army and police presence” and warned that “anyone who does not surrender will be eliminated.”
Videos circulating on social media show armed men on motorcycles moving through the streets of Santa Marta, shooting at open shops and burning vehicles blocking the roads. On Wednesday, entire areas of the city, one of the largest on Colombia’s Caribbean coast, remained empty amid rumors of restrictions on commerce and movement imposed by the organization terrorizing the region.
Authorities announced that public order has been altered in Santa Marta, Magdalena, and several areas of the La Guajira department as a result of recent military operations in these territories.
A police spokesperson told AFP that yesterday law enforcement increased its presence in commercial areas, deploying specialized units in the fight against extortion and special forces.
Military troops were also deployed along the road connecting Santa Marta with the department of La Guajira, which borders Venezuela and where ACSN also operates.
President de la Esperanza, a former millionaire lawyer backed by Donald Trump’s United States, took office in August. The new far-right politician has promised to crack down on armed groups involved in cocaine trafficking. Colombia is the world’s leading producer of cocaine.
