Former Medellin Cartel boss te return to Colombia...
Colombia’s police raid 11 prisons in attempt to...
Colombia to impose visas requirements on British citizens
Colombia seeks to ban recruitment of mercenaries
Colombia’s prosecution confirms plea deal with jailed former...
Arsonists set home of Colombia’s land restitution chief...
FARC dissident group splits over peace talks with...
Colombia and Russia “reactivate” bilateral ties
Colombia’s war crime tribunal indicts former FARC chiefs...
Colombia allocates $382M to climate disaster relief
  • About
  • Support
  • Newsletter
  • Contact
Colombia News | Colombia Reports
  • News
    • General
    • Analysis
    • War and peace
    • Elections
    • Economy
    • Culture
    • Sports
    • Science and Tech
  • Travel
    • General
    • Bogota
    • Medellin
    • Cali
    • Cartagena
    • Antioquia
    • Caribbean
    • Pacific
    • Coffee region
    • Amazon
    • Southwest Colombia
    • Northeast Colombia
    • Central Colombia
  • Data
    • Economy
    • Crime and security
    • War and peace
    • Development
    • Cities
    • Regions
    • Provinces
  • Profiles
    • Organized crime
    • Politics
    • Armed conflict
    • Economy
    • Sports
  • Lite
  • Opinion
News

‘Urabeños’ bring northern Colombia to a halt

by Aylish O'Driscoll January 5, 2012
3.4K

crime

Neo-paramilitary group “Los Urabeños” expand their shut-down of northern Colombia, imposing a curfew on the entire population, shutting all business and trade, and bringing public transport to a halt.

{japopup type=”image” content=”pics/2012/mphoto/communication_autodefensas.jpg” title=”Communication from the Autodefensas Gaitanistas de Colombia” }Communication from the Autodefensas Gaitanistas de Colombia{/japopup}

In a pamphlet, spread around in the areas wher the neo-paramilitaries imposed the shut-down, the Urabeños say the strike is dedicated to “the dedication and sacrifice” of their murdered leader “Giovanni” “for the fight to defend the rights of the less-favored classes of our abandoned regions.”

The very public show of defiance by the criminal gang — in retaliation for the killing of their leader Juan de Dios Usuga, alias Giovanni by Colombian armed forces in the early hours of January 1 — began Wednesday, and is planned to continue through Thursday as their former leader is buried.

Though police and government officials have been quick to downplay the extent of the strike, encouraging shop owners to open and transport companies to operate, the affected areas — including the northeastern Baja Cauca region of Antioquia, the coastal regions of Cordoba, and the Caribbean tourist city of Santa Marta, Magdalena — remain almost completely shut down.

Local business owners report fearing for their lives should they disobey the orders of the gang, after receiving personal visits from gang members, while pamphlets were distributed by the Urabeños warning the public to comply with their requests.

The Urabeños, who called the strike under their original name, the “Autodefensas Gaitanistas de Colombia,” are the country’s strongest neo-paramilitary group and considered largely in charge of the drug trafficking routes to the Caribbean.

AGC

Contribute

For patrons

Downloads for patrons

Related articles

  • Colombia’s police kills former army major in operation against EGC

  • Guerrilla lockdown confining 50,000 people to their homes in west Colombia: governor

  • Colombia announces negotiations with EGC paramilitaries

  • Twitter
  • Email
  • Rss

@2008-2019 - Colombia Reports. All Rights Reserved.
Powered by Digitale Zaken and Parrolabs


Back To Top
Colombia News | Colombia Reports
  • News
    • General
    • Analysis
    • War and peace
    • Elections
    • Economy
    • Culture
    • Sports
    • Science and Tech
  • Travel
    • General
    • Bogota
    • Medellin
    • Cali
    • Cartagena
    • Antioquia
    • Caribbean
    • Pacific
    • Coffee region
    • Amazon
    • Southwest Colombia
    • Northeast Colombia
    • Central Colombia
  • Data
    • Economy
    • Crime and security
    • War and peace
    • Development
    • Cities
    • Regions
    • Provinces
  • Profiles
    • Organized crime
    • Politics
    • Armed conflict
    • Economy
    • Sports
  • Lite
  • Opinion
  • Twitter
  • Email
  • Rss

@2008-2019 - Colombia Reports. All Rights Reserved.
Powered by Digitale Zaken and Parrolabs


Back To Top

Colombia News | Colombia Reports
  • News
    • General
    • Analysis
    • War and peace
    • Elections
    • Economy
    • Culture
    • Sports
    • Science and Tech
  • Travel
    • General
    • Bogota
    • Medellin
    • Cali
    • Cartagena
    • Antioquia
    • Caribbean
    • Pacific
    • Coffee region
    • Amazon
    • Southwest Colombia
    • Northeast Colombia
    • Central Colombia
  • Data
    • Economy
    • Crime and security
    • War and peace
    • Development
    • Cities
    • Regions
    • Provinces
  • Profiles
    • Organized crime
    • Politics
    • Armed conflict
    • Economy
    • Sports
  • Lite
  • Opinion