Inside Colombia’s Never-Ending Drug War

Article excerpt

A decade after Colombia signed a historic peace accord, drug traffickers and armed militias are escalating violence with a lethal blend of traditional jungle warfare and cutting-edge drone technology. The agreement that promised stability has fractured as criminal groups splinter and compete for control of cocaine production and trafficking routes. President Gustavo Petro faces mounting pressure to contain the bloodshed while balancing his campaign pledges to address root causes of violence, poverty, land inequality, drug demand, against demands for a military crackdown. The conflict has devolved into a patchwork of territorial wars, with armed factions using drones to coordinate attacks and gather intelligence on rivals. Civilians caught between competing gangs bear the heaviest cost of a war that seemed, at least momentarily, to have ended.