President De la Espriella orders militarisation of Santa Marta amid ACSN violence
President De la Espriella announced that Santa Marta will be militarised after armed men on motorcycles opened fire and set trucks ablaze in the city.
Armed individuals on motorcycles were captured on video firing at storefronts, igniting trucks and blocking streets in Santa Marta. In response, President De la Espriella declared the city will be militarised, warning that criminals attempting to spread chaos across the Caribbean region will be suppressed. The statement came after a military operation that eliminated 13 members of the self-styled Conquering Self Defense Forces of the Sierra Nevada (ACSN), a group linked to cocaine trafficking.
Police have reinforced patrols in the city’s commercial zones, and army troops have been deployed along the highway connecting Santa Marta to the La Guajira department, which borders Venezuela and is also an ACSN stronghold. The president emphasized that anyone refusing to submit will be dealt with firmly. The escalation reflects De la Espriella’s hard-line stance on drug-related armed groups since taking office in August.
Why it matters
The militarisation of a major coastal city signals escalating conflict with drug-linked armed groups in Colombia.
How the sides frame it
HIGH AGREEMENTBoth centrist and right-leaning coverage describe the president’s decision to militarise Santa Marta as a necessary response to ACSN-linked violence, with only minor differences in detail.
CENTER
President orders militarisation of Santa Marta to suppress criminals spreading chaos across the Caribbean.
RIGHT
President deploys troops to Santa Marta to quell ACSN violence, emphasizing his personal oversight of the operation.
The right emphasises
- president pledged to personally oversee the operation
- ACSN estimated at about 800 members
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