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Security & Strategic Review - June 2017 (ISSN 1741-4202)

Colombia: The fight for control of the Catatumbo

The geographical region of Catatumbo located in Colombia’s north-eastern department of Norte de Santander, on the border with Venezuela, has long been a hub for organised crime. Its difficult mountainous terrain and the porous border with Venezuela makes it a haven for smugglers, drug traffickers, and insurgent guerrilla groups. The criminal groups that operate in this region have carved out various areas of control and for years appeared to be working under a tacit agreement of non-interference with each other. But following the signing of the peace deal between the Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia (Farc) guerrillas and the Colombian government it is believed that the Catatumbo underworld is now going through a major reorganisation. This has made the Catatumbo a major focus for the Colombian security forces, which are now very active in the area.

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