Terrorism In Colombia
Colombia has been plagued by terrorism for the last few years. The country has three terrorist organizations that have been wreaking havoc since 2002. |
The three organizations are Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, National Liberation Army and the United Self Defense Forces of Colombia. These three organizations have been responsible for killing more than 3,500 people since 2002.A former president of Colombia held a three-year long peace talk with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), which is the largest terrorist organization in the country. However, the organization kidnapped a Colombian Senator while hijacking a plane, and this led to the talks collapsing. Also, the president scrapped the demilitarized zone where the organization was allowed to live without any interference from the government during the peace talks.
Then, Alvaro Uribe took over the reins of presidency in August 2002. This saw the war against domestic terrorism intensifying. However, FARC retaliated by launching mortar attacks on military facilities and the presidential palace. The government even increased defense spending to fight these terrorist organizations. However, this did not lead to any result. Instead more people were being kidnapped and being held for ransom and extortion fees.
Colombia has taken steps to block the assets of these terrorist organizations, and also taken steps to curb money laundering. Colombia has been cooperating with the US and has been extraditing Colombian citizens wanted in the US. But FARC and National Liberation Army (ELN) have been attacking oil pipelines and other infrastructure installations to adversely effect Colombia's economy and shake investor confidence.
According to political analysts, the three terrorist organizations in Colombia are not very strong, and due to their actions, they do not have much support from the people. However, as long as these organizations take advantage of the desperation of the rural Colombian masses and are well funded, terrorism in Colombia will not cease. The government has to find ways to improve the lot of the rural people, and this will automatically put these organizations on a back foot.
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