Colombia Decides EPL is No Longer Major Threat

Colombia has downgraded the threat level of one of the country's oldest criminal groups, which means fewer resources and troops will go toward fighting it.

In Colombia, Child Soldiers Play Many Roles

Children serve in a wide range of roles in criminal organizations: errand boy, landmine builder, frontline combatant and assassin. In this, the second of a three-part investigation by InSight Crime…

Colombia's EPL Bitterly Divided Between Political, Drug Trafficking Factions

A top EPL guerrilla commander in Colombia was killed on order of its high command for treason -- an act likely to further inflame infighting among the group’s increasingly desperate…

Colombia Running Out of Incentives to Convince Armed Fighters to Surrender

The Colombian government's latest offer of legal benefits to individuals of armed groups who surrender and face justice was met with skepticism, especially since it came amid the coronavirus lockdown.

Drug Traffickers Used Venezuela's Isla Margarita as Backdoor to Europe

A Venezuelan island in the Caribbean that is a popular tourist destination was used by a Colombian trafficker to move drugs to the United States and Europe, in another example…

Increase in Violence Leads to More Forced Displacements in Colombia

A recent report has shown the scale to which forced displacements due to violence are increasing in Colombia, primarily affecting vulnerable groups like Afro-Colombians and indigenous communities.

Colombia's EPL Faces Bleak Prospects After Death of Pácora

The killing of the leader of the EPL’s political and military wings by the Colombian army comes at a critical time for the criminal group, as it finds itself bitterly…

ELN Gains Upper Hand Over EPL in Norte de Santander, Colombia

A recent split within the EPL guerrilla force has left it weakened and allowed its rival, the ELN, to gain an advantage in Norte de Santander, a Colombian department on…

Colombia's Armed Groups Prey on Venezuela Migrants

A new report by Human Rights Watch on violence in the department of Norte de Santander, Colombia, shows how vulnerable Venezuelan migrants are to the criminal groups that dominate the…

EPL, Rastrojos Behind Rising Violence in Venezuela Border State of Táchira

A recent shootout at the main border crossing between Colombia and Venezuela and the killing of five people in another Venezuelan frontier town shows that clashes between criminal groups over…

EPL Muscles in on El Naya Drug Corridor in West Colombia

The killing of four people in Jamundí, Valle del Cauca, may have been the EPL’s way of announcing its entrance to one of Colombia’s strategic drug corridors: El Naya.

ELN and EPL Conflict Intensifies at Colombia-Venezuela Border

A recent massacre that left eight people dead near the Colombia-Venezuela border shows how much the conflict has intensified between two armed groups battling for control of the drug trade…