Colombia: Criminal groups conduct attacks on multinational corporations

Event

Criminal groups attacked multinational corporations operating in Antioquia on several occasions in recent months, indicating the continued threat in regions of Colombia despite the historic peace agreement between the government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). On September 5, gunmen attacked a mining camp in Buriticá, killing one and wounding another. Two weeks later, on September 20, armed militants attacked the same company and killed three geologists and wounded an additional three in Yarumal. Finally, suspected members of the criminal group Los Urabeños kidnapped 17 workers with a utility company in Zaragoza. The hostages were rescued by the Colombian army on September 25.

The attacks demonstrate the continued threat of violent criminal organizations in areas of Colombia, including Antioquia, despite the demobilization of FARC and its top leadership. In the aftermath of the 2016 FARC peace agreement, splinter groups and criminal bands seek to assert their presence and control over resources in former FARC-influenced areas of the country.

Context

A peace deal between FARC leadership and the Colombian government was ratified by the Colombian congress in November 2016, officially ending an armed conflict that killed more than 260,000 people over five decades.

Advice

Individuals in or planning travel to Colombia are advised to keep abreast of the situation. Due to the presence of armed groups - including drug cartels, right-wing militias, local gangs, and the ELN guerrilla group, in addition to ex-FARC dissidents - Western governments generally advise against travel to various regions of the country, most notably most border areas on the frontiers with Ecuador, Peru, Brazil, Venezuela, and Panama.