A neo-paramilitary group in the Magdalena Valley has declared war on rival organizations operating in the region, Colombian media reported Tuesday.
According to newspaper El Tiempo, the group, the Gaitanista Self-Defense Forces Colombia Cordoba and Uraba began distributing fliers through the middle Magdalena region on January 23 and 24.
In the flier the group declared their intention to battle “Los Rastrojos” and the “Aguilas Negras”, two of the most powerful drug-trafficking neo-paramilitary gangs in the country.
The group appears to be active in the Barrancabermeja and Yondo municipalities. Barrancabermeja in particular has been a hotbed of drug gang activity throughout 2009.
It is unclear whether the group operates independently or whether it is a wing of other paramilitary gangs in the region, such as the “Urabistas,” which has violently confronted the “Rastrojos” gang before in Barrancabermeja.
