Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos ordered the revision of the security policy of his administration that is facing increased guerrilla activity in the southern half of the country and neo-paramilitary and drug trafficking organizations in the west and north.
Santos made the announcement during a speech on the first anniversary of his administration and the day Colombia commemorates the battle of Boyaca in which the country acquired its definite independence from Spain.
While Santos stressed his administration has made a lot of progress in its first 365 days, the President acknowledged that the fight against left-wing groups like the FARC and ELN, right-wing neo-paramilitaries and unpolitical drug trafficking organizations needed to be revised.
“I have ordered the minister of defense to revise the territorial control scheme, including the control over our borders, to make use of our forces more efficiently and effectively,” Santos said.
According to the President, the FARC — the country’s largest rebel group — has moved towards a survival strategy and is operating in smaller groups aiming to achieve high-impact attacks.
In return, “we must adjust our doctrine, our operations and our procedures to this mode of operation without falling in the trap of easing the efficiency and force of our operations we will continue to carry our against them, in the deepest depths of the jungle or the highest of mountains, wherever we have to go.”
Santos’ administration — while enjoying high approval ratings — has been criticized over the increasing strength of drug trafficking groups like “Los Rastrojos,” neo-paramilitary organizations like “Los Urabeños” and “Los Paisas” and an increase of high-profile attacks by left-wing groups FARC and ELN.