Source: Wikipedia
MCC has reported of an ongoing state of crisis in the northern Colombian province of Córdoba. Church and community leaders have come under increasing threat and violence carried out by alleged paramilitary groups.
Adam Isacson from the Center for International Policy wrote a blog post last week summarizing the state of violence and an overview of the emerging paramilitary groups in this region.
Here’s an excerpt:
This post, compiled by CIP Intern Hannah Brodlie, offers a troubling update on the security situation in the department of Córdoba in northwestern Colombia. Córdoba is a cattle-ranching region where President Álvaro Uribe spends much of his spare time, as he owns a large ranch on the outskirts of the capital, Montería.
Córdoba was a stronghold of the United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia (AUC) paramilitary group, whose paramount leaders, Carlos Castaño and Salvatore Mancuso, had earlier founded the ACCU, or United Self-Defense Forces of Córdoba and Urabá. The southern part of the department, particularly the town of Santa Fe de Ralito, served as the site of demobilization negotiations between the AUC and the Colombian government between 2003 and 2006.
Because it was undisputed territory, ruled with an iron paramilitary fist, Córdoba had lower levels of violence than most Colombian departments during the late 1990s and early 2000s. Today, however, Córdoba is aflame.
