Colombia approves military force against criminal gangs

By Richard McColl

BOGOTA, Colombia

The government’s decision to use military force against newly formed criminal gangs represents a change in the nation’s defense strategy, according to the head of a Colombian think-.

Colombia authorized the use bombing raids against the three principal criminal gangs in the country in a move to toughen the security strategy announced the Defence Minister Luis Carlos Villegas.

The declaration to bomb the installations of the three major Bacrims, or newly emerged criminal gangs, including the Clan Úsuga, Los Pelusos and Los Puntilleros is a demonstration of a change in security policy by President Juan Manuel Santos.

The Bacrims are an evolution of the former right-wing groups that emerged in response to increased threats from left-wing guerrillas.

“This is a new war because it will use military force … which is lethal and is looking to reduce the enemy, different to the police, which seek to fulfill orders to capture criminals,” Jorge Restrepo, director of the Conflict Analysis Resource Center, told members of the media Thursday. “And this is necessary given the capacity for violence that these groups possess,” he added.

In late March, the Clan Úsuga enforced a 24-hour armed strike in parts of five Colombian departments bringing businesses and transport to a standstill and forcing affected populations to stay indoors.

That action, combined with their Bacrims’ reach across the country, is seen as representing the principal challenge to security in an eventual post conflict scenario now that peace dialogues with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) appear to be nearing an end and, the second guerrilla group, the National Liberation Army (ELN) have agreed to talks.

“Now we can use all of our institutional muscle against these three organized crime groups,” Villegas said.

Now numbering roughly 3,000 combatants, the Bacrims generate their income from the cocaine trade, illegal mining and extortion and, are located in strategic territories including the Gulf of Uraba on the Caribbean coast and the department of Norte de Santander that borders Venezuela.

Originally, the paramilitary groups were created by landowners in response to increasing threats from left-wing guerrillas.

Approximately 30,000 members demobilized in 2006 after agreeing to deals with the government.