Colombia Militarizes Santa Marta After Armed Strike Threat

On September 22, Abelardo De La Espriella ordered soldiers and police to take control of security in Santa Marta after threats from the Autodefensas Conquistadoras de la Sierra Nevada (ACSN). The order, published by the Colombian presidency, put National Police and Army units in charge in the Caribbean port city.

The ACSN, a crime group based in Santa Marta, had announced a 72-hour blockade on transport and civilian activity, according to a September 24 alert from the U.S. Embassy. Shops closed and transport stopped. Reuters reported on September 24 that the city had come to a standstill, with the shutdown reaching other parts of Colombia's Caribbean coast.

The order followed deadly operations. Thirteen members of the illegal armed group were killed on the Monday before the September 24 report. The ACSN's main commander, known as Bendito Menor, was killed in a police operation. Separately, Jose Luis Perez, known as Cholo, was reported killed by Colombia's armed forces along with six others. De La Espriella traveled there in person and tried to restore order a day after violence blamed on a drug-trafficking gang, the Associated Press reported on September 23.

De La Espriella said his government will not allow armed strikes in national territory. On September 24, the presidency said the National Police and Army captured a woman known as Yolima, described as the romantic partner of a ringleader. The presidency described the capture as part of the continuing offensive against the groups behind the strike, known in Colombia as a paro.

He also patrolled Santa Marta on September 23 and shared video of the patrol, wearing a pistol and a bulletproof vest, El Pais reported. The video showed him walking under heavy guard while residents stayed indoors. Earlier in September, De La Espriella signed a decree that eased limits on carrying legal firearms in public, the BBC reported on September 9.

De La Espriella, 48, won the June presidential runoff and took office in August promising a security crackdown, Reuters reported. During the campaign he promised to crush drug traffickers and to cut the size of the state by as much as 40%. The presidency now lists him as President of the Republic.

The broader context here is a test of rule through force. A paro armado, or armed strike, is a tool for territorial control. The group tries to show it can freeze daily life and punish people who do not obey, like holding the off switch for a whole city. Stopping one takes more than soldiers on city streets. It takes blocking supply routes, gathering intelligence on mid-level commanders, and controlling corridors outside the city. Santa Marta is central to that effort because of its port, its tourism economy, and its closeness to trafficking routes in the Sierra Nevada.

Looking at what this means for Colombian security policy, three tensions stand out. First, between concentrating forces and spreading them thin. Sending troops to the city can reassure residents and break an immediate blockade. It can also leave soldiers fixed in one place while rival groups move elsewhere. Second, between looser gun rules and the state's control of force. The government presents wider legal carry as self-defense. In city operations, though, it can make it harder to tell armed civilians from fighters and to build evidence after shootouts. Third, between cutting the state and expanding security. A plan to cut state structures by 40% is difficult to square with a long deployment that needs supply lines, combined intelligence, and courts to process captures such as Yolima's.

In my view, the result in Santa Marta is still open. The short-term question is whether the deaths of Bendito Menor and Cholo weaken ACSN command or lead to fights over succession and more retaliatory strikes. The longer question is whether De La Espriella can move from tactical wins to breaking up funding, extortion networks, and local political influence. His personal patrols place responsibility on him. They leave him little distance if the shutdown happens again.