COLOMBIAN INTRASTATE

FIFTY YEARS OF CONFLICT

CONFLICT

BACKGROUND OF THE
CONFLICT

HISTORY
1960s: Guerrilla groups emerged.
1970's:
Grower
marijuana.

and

exporter

of

1980's: Escobar/Medelln cartel formed.

1990's: Grower, processor, trans shipper
of cocaine and heroin. At this stage illicit
drug operations and paramilitary groups
and guerrillas solidify relationship.

COLOMBIAN INTRA-STATE
CONFLICT
History of the Conflict

HISTORY
1993 : Pablo Escobar was killed. Large
syndicates are replaced by smaller,
more vertically integrated trafficking
organizations.
Between 1995 - 1999: Colombian coca
cultivation increased from 178,000 acres
to 370,000 acres. Decrease since then.

COLOMBIAN INTRA-STATE
CONFLICT
History of the Conflict

HISTORY
1995 - 2005: The guerrilla fills in the
void left when the leaders of the cartels
disappear from the scene

COLOMBIAN INTRA-STATE
CONFLICT
History of the Conflict

ACTORS INTHE COLOMBIAN

CONFLICT

GUERRILLA
GROUPS
FARC: Revolutionary Armed Forces of
Colombia.
Approx. 20.000 men, women and
children.
ELN: National Liberation Army.
Less than 5.000 members.

COLOMBIAN INTRA-STATE
CONFLICT
Actors Involved

FARC
The largest guerrilla group in Colombia.
Established

in

revolutionary

1964,

state

fights

based

on

for

Marxist-

Leninist principles.
Influential

in

Colombias

south-west

Region.

COLOMBIAN INTRA-STATE
CONFLICT
Actors Involved

ELN
A Marxist guerrilla group set up in 1964.
Its

short-term

goal

is

to

establish

demilitarised zone (despeje) in the northwestern department of Bolvar and the

north-eastern part of Antioqua.

COLOMBIAN INTRA-STATE
CONFLICT
Actors Involved

PARAMILITARY FORCE
Paramilitary groups. In response to years
of guerrilla and drug violence in Colombia,
Paramilitary groups emerged. Less than
15.000 members.

COLOMBIAN INTRA-STATE
CONFLICT
Actors Involved

AUC
A umbrella organisation comprised of
several

regional

paramilitary

groups,

aimed to fight against the FARC and the

ELN. Founded in 1997, the AUC was
disbanded from 2003 to 2006, but some
factions still operate or have moved into
micro drug cartels.
.

COLOMBIAN INTRA-STATE
CONFLICT
Actors Involved

UNDERLYING CAUSES OF THE

CONFLICT

DRUG TRADE
Ideal climate and growing conditions.
Availability of vast under-populated
frontier land.
Eastern and southern
regions of the country.
Strategic location near to U.S. markets
(Colombia is less than 3 hrs away from the
U.S).
Armed groups support the business.
.

COLOMBIAN INTRA-STATE
CONFLICT
Underlying Causes of the

DRUG
PRODUCTION
Problem:
Colombia is still the largest producer of
cocaine in the world.
Cultivated mostly in the southern area.
2% of the countrys population lives there.

Guerrilla groups get funds from drugs.

COLOMBIAN INTRA-STATE
CONFLICT
Underlying Causes of the

DRUG TRADE

SOURCE: UNDOF

COLOMBIAN INTRA-STATE
CONFLICT
Drug Trade

DRUG
CONSUMPTION
North America and Europe are the major
drug consumers.
An estimated 0.5% or less of drug
production stays in Colombia.

COLOMBIAN INTRA-STATE
CONFLICT
Drug Trade

DRUG TRADE

SOURCE: UNDOF

COLOMBIAN INTRA-STATE
CONFLICT
Drug Trade

DRUG TRADE

SOURCE: UNDOF

COLOMBIAN INTRA-STATE
CONFLICT
Drug Trade

CURRENT STATUS OF
COLOMBIA

ECONOMY
Source of potential instability for Latin
America
Potential damage of market relations
with other countries. (Colombia has solid
Exports)
Agricultural sector is strongly hit

COLOMBIAN INTRA-STATE
CONFLICT
Current Status of the Conflict

ECONOMY
Holdback foreign investment
Tourism sector is affected
Oil sources are threatened
Brain drain. About 5 million Colombians
live abroad.

COLOMBIAN INTRA-STATE
CONFLICT
Current Status of the Conflict

ENVIRONMENT
Damage in the Amazons environment.
Jungles destroyed by the cultivation of
coca and the millions of gallons of toxic
chemicals (Amazon River).
Over the last 15 years, the drug business
dumped 900,000 tons of toxic waste into
the fragile rain forest eco-system.

COLOMBIAN INTRA-STATE
CONFLICT
Current Status of the Conflict

ENVIRONMENT
The Amazon Basin is under threat from
the continued cultivation of coca. The
sowing of one hectare of coca requires the
felling of 3 hectares of virgin forest.
In the last ten years, 1,361,475 hectares
have been deforested in this way.

COLOMBIAN INTRA-STATE
CONFLICT
Current Status of the Conflict

ENVIRONMENT
Natural Reserves threaten by guerrilla
groups: In the northern region of the
Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, some
40,000 indigenous people (Wiwas, Koguis,
Kankuamos and Arhuacos) are struggling
to survive and defend their culture.

COLOMBIAN INTRA-STATE
CONFLICT
Current Status of the Conflict

GOVERNMENT
Local and national elections threaten
Kidnapping of politicians.
Guerrillas want to control rural areas.
Press freedom is restricted.

COLOMBIAN INTRA-STATE
CONFLICT
Current Status of the Conflict

SOCIETY
About 1000 Colombians lose their lives
every year.
Displaced people (last 9 years): 3 million.
Children comprise approximately half of
the internally displaced population.
Human Rights Watch conservatively
estimates that there are 11,000 children in
the armed groups in Colombia.

COLOMBIAN INTRA-STATE
CONFLICT
Current Status of the Conflict

SOCIETY
Indigenous groups in Colombia are in
danger of disappearing amid the country's
continuing conflict.

COLOMBIAN INTRA-STATE
CONFLICT
Current Status of the Conflict

LOCAL AND INTERNATIONAL

RESPONSE

LOCAL MEASURES
Colombia spends about US 1 billion
annually on its struggle against drugs.
Strength of military presence in rural
areas.
Alvaro Uribes Administration: Democratic
Security Policy and Justice and Peace Law.

COLOMBIAN INTRA-STATE
CONFLICT
Reaction to the Conflict

Public force expenditure as % of GDP (1990 2006*)

4,5%

4,10%
4,02%

4,0%
3,5%

3,41%
3,19%
3,17%

3,0%

3,58%

2,68%

2,5%

2,11%

2,0%
1,5%

3,33%

1,85%
1,64%

1,0%
0,5%
2006*

2005*

2004

2003

2002

2001

2000

1999

1998

1997

1996

1995

1994

1993

1992

1991

1990

0,0%

COLOMBIAN INTRA-STATE
CONFLICT
Reaction to the Conflict

LOCAL MEASURES
Colombia spends about US 1 billion
annually on its struggle against drugs.
Strength of military presence in rural
areas.
International Cooperation: USA and
European Union support.
Alvaro Uribes Administration: Democratic
Security Policy and Justice and Peace Law.
.

COLOMBIAN INTRA-STATE
CONFLICT
Reaction to the Conflict

Democratic Security
Policy
Long term State policy, focused on
the strengthening of the rule of law
in all the Colombian territory and on
the protection of the rights and
liberties of the civil population. This
policy compromises the State and
the whole society.

COLOMBIAN INTRA-STATE
CONFLICT
Reaction to the Conflict

Democratic
Security Policy
Four strategic objectives:

Recover the territorial control

Protect the population
Eliminate the drugs traffic
Responsibility, efficiency and
transparency in the administration of
resources

COLOMBIAN INTRA-STATE
CONFLICT
Reaction to the Conflict

Democratic
Security Policy
International Cooperation:
European Union support.

USA

and

COLOMBIAN INTRA-STATE
CONFLICT
Reaction to the Conflict

Justice Peace Law

IT IS A LAW THAT INTRODUCES JUSTICE
AND REPARATION TO VICTIMS.
IT IS A COMPLEMENT TO EXISTING NORMS
IN COLOMBIA THAT SEEK TO ACHIEVE
PEACE
IT IS AN OPPORTUNITY TO DEACTIVATE A
WAR MACHINE THAT HAS CAUSED GREAT
DAMAGE IN COLOMBIA FOR MANY YEARS

COLOMBIAN INTRA-STATE
CONFLICT
History of the Conflict

RESULTS

COLOMBIAN INTRA-STATE
CONFLICT
History of the Conflict

RESULTS

COLOMBIAN INTRA-STATE
CONFLICT
History of the Conflict

RESULTS

COLOMBIAN INTRA-STATE
CONFLICT
History of the Conflict

RESULTS

COLOMBIAN INTRA-STATE
CONFLICT
History of the Conflict

RESULTS

COLOMBIAN INTRA-STATE
CONFLICT
History of the Conflict

RESULTS
IT IS NOT THE BEGINNING OF A
MORE
VIOLENT
ERA
IN
COLOMBIA, IT IS THE BEGINNING
OF THE DISARMAMENT OF THE
ILLEGAL
GROUPS,
THE
RECOVERY OF THE COUNTRY
AND
ITS
ECONOMY,
THE
INITIATION OF A DIALOGUE WITH
GUERRILLAS
AND
THE
RESTORATION OF THE ORDER.
.

COLOMBIAN INTRA-STATE
CONFLICT
History of the Conflict

RESULTS
THE SUPPORT OF THE
INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY IS
NECESSARY TO IMPLEMENT
POLITICAL MEASURES.
COLOMBIA ALSO NEEDS
ASSISTANCE IN FACILITATING
THE REINTEGRATION OF
DEMOBILIZED PERSONS TO CIVIL
SOCIETY AND GREATER
SUPPORT IN HELPING THE
COLOMBIAN INTRA-STATE
VICTIMS OF THE CONFLICT
CONFLICT

History of the Conflict