HomeNewsBriefColombia Coca Growers' Protests Spark More Violence
BRIEF

Colombia Coca Growers' Protests Spark More Violence

COLOMBIA / 19 JUL 2013 BY MIRIAM WELLS EN

A new wave of protests in Colombia's troubled coca-growing region has more than 30 injured, as the government takes a hard line against farmers opposing eradication of the crop that is the raw material for cocaine, even while it negotiates similar matters with the country's largest rebel organization.

Social unrest sparked by plans to destroy coca crops near the Venezuelan border in the northeastern region of Catatumbo last month left four dead and dozens injured. New confrontations this week left 13 protesters and 24 police injured, reported the radio program La FM.

Police also announced Thursday that prosecutors were filing charges against 10 of 32 people detained in last month's clashes, reported El Tiempo, many of them for terrorism and vandalism.

Almost 18,000 people cannot leave their homes because of protesters' roadblocks, said the United Nations. These roadblocks have caused food shortages and a steep increase in prices, reported Radio RCN.

A nationwide protest is planned for July 20, Colombia's independence day, said the ex-senator Piedad Cordoba who heads her own small political party.

InSight Crime Analysis

The remote rural region of Catatumbo is a symbolic place for the Colombian conflict, with a long and troubled history of guerrilla activity, paramilitary massacres and government repression. In a story repeated across Colombia and the other Andes nations, coca-growing farmers find themselves in the middle of conflict between all sides, and have claimed that the government has failed to offer them any viable economic alternatives to their illegal crop. 

As peace talks between the country's largest rebel group, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) and the government continue in Cuba, the Catatumbo conflict provides a microcosm of the entrenched issues of land reform and economic development the two sides are attempting to tackle. 

However, negotiations between the government and farmers, whose demands include the creation of a peasants' reserve and a rural development plan, have failed. And last week President Juan Manuel Santos said that a peasant reserve was out of the question as it “would jeopardize the authority of the state and the security of Colombians.” 

The government also claims protests are being incited by the FARC, and that the semi-autonomous peasant reserves could turn into rebel havens.

For its part, the United Nations has accused the government of using excessive force in response to the legitimate protests.  

share icon icon icon

Was this content helpful?

We want to sustain Latin America’s largest organized crime database, but in order to do so, we need resources.

DONATE

What are your thoughts? Click here to send InSight Crime your comments.

We encourage readers to copy and distribute our work for non-commercial purposes, with attribution to InSight Crime in the byline and links to the original at both the top and bottom of the article. Check the Creative Commons website for more details of how to share our work, and please send us an email if you use an article.

Tags

Was this content helpful?

We want to sustain Latin America’s largest organized crime database, but in order to do so, we need resources.

DONATE

Related Content

COLOMBIA / 21 APR 2022

Everything from turtles, iguanas and parrots is trafficked through Cartagena, Colombia's illegal wildlife trade.

COCA / 1 SEP 2021

Deforestation is the most visible face of environmental crime in Colombia’s Amazon.

COLOMBIA / 25 JUL 2022

The Urabeños, and some smaller Colombian gangs, have sent a letter to president-elect Gustavo Petro to seek peace.

About InSight Crime

THE ORGANIZATION

All Eyes on Ecuador

2 JUN 2023

Our coverage of organized crime in Ecuador continues to be a valuable resource for international and local news outlets. Internationally, Reuters cited our 2022 Homicide Round-Up,…

WORK WITH US

Open Position: Social Media and Engagement Strategist

27 MAY 2023

InSight Crime is looking for a Social Media and Engagement Strategist who will be focused on maintaining and improving InSight Crime’s reputation and interaction with its audiences through publishing activities…

THE ORGANIZATION

Venezuela Coverage Receives Great Reception

27 MAY 2023

Several of InSight Crime’s most recent articles about Venezuela have been well received by regional media. Our article on Venezuela’s colectivos expanding beyond their political role to control access to…

THE ORGANIZATION

InSight Crime's Chemical Precursor Report Continues

19 MAY 2023

For the second week in a row, our investigation into the flow of precursor chemicals for the manufacture of synthetic drugs in Mexico has been cited by multiple regional media…

THE ORGANIZATION

InSight Crime’s Chemical Precursor Report Widely Cited

THE ORGANIZATION / 12 MAY 2023

We are proud to see that our recently published investigation into the supply chain of chemical precursors feeding Mexico’s synthetic drug production has been warmly received.