Colombia has long been locked in a battle against narco-terrorism, a multifaceted threat that intertwines drug trafficking with violent extremism. For decades, powerful drug cartels have sought to maintain control over vast swaths of territory, using violence and intimidation to protect their illicit operations. These criminal organizations, fueled by the profits of the drug trade, have posed a significant challenge to the country’s stability and security. In response, Colombian authorities, supported by international partners, have launched aggressive campaigns to dismantle these cartels and disrupt their networks.
Through coordinated law enforcement efforts, targeted military operations, and investment in social and economic development, Colombia has made significant strides in combating narco-terrorism. Despite the challenges, Colombia’s determination to confront narco-terrorism head-on reflects its commitment to building a safer and more prosperous future for its citizens.
The Colombian government revealed a new offensive against terrorist narco groups, which includes the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) alongside the National Liberation Army (ELN). The announcement, which was published on X, came from Iván Velásquez Gómez, the Minister of Defense for Colombia, who expressed the offensive was in order to execute a total of 481 arrest warrants for those supposed of committing homicides of a number of public figures, which included “former FARC members, human rights defenders, and social leaders.”
The operation, dubbed “Operation Themis,” concentrates on targeting both those with arrest warrants linked to the killings as well as high-ranking members of the previously noted criminal organizations active within Colombia. Many of those who have been targeted by the Colombian government earlier had their warrants frozen due to the continuing peace talks between their respective organizations and the government.
Among those targeted are essential leaders of both the FARC and the ELN, with figures such as Néstor Gregorio Vera, also understood as Iván Mordisco, who acts as the commander of the Estado Mayor Central faction of the FARC. Others include Iván “Marlon” Idrobo Arredondo of the FARC and Velosa García, also known as John Mechas, of the ELN, both of whom are thought to be hiding out in Venezuela, where the ELN is highly active.
This operation comes after the killing of five signatories to the Havana Peace Accord, an agreement inscribed in 2016 between members of the FARC and the Colombian government under the presidency of Juan Manuel Santos, who held the post from 2010 to 2018. The Colombian government reported 62 murders of signatories to the agreement and 271 murders of human rights defenders, 187 of whom were massacred in 2023, since the election of Gustavo Petro in 2022.
Operation Themis comes a month after the Colombian government relaunched “Operation Agamemnon,” an offensive that only targeted Clan del Golfo, a narco-terrorist organization created from the ashes of the AUC.
During the course of 1984–1993, Colombia was known as one of the nations to have suffered a number of terrorist raids at the hands of narcotic traffickers. Belisario Betancourt, Virgilio Barco and César Gaviria were three Colombian presidents who regularly battled against the Medellín Cartel’s unrelenting battle on the government, especially through its component known as Los Extraditables led by Pablo Escobar Gaviria, Gustavo Gaviria and Gonzalo Rodriguez Gacha. Several crimes by “Los Extraditables” were due to their endless battles against the government’s policies on extradition and their associations with the United States government which sought to bring the Colombian drug bosses to righteousness.
These terrorist actions typically consisted of assassinations of political figures, abductions, and bombings. The wing of the cartel also understood as Los Priscos reportedly also experienced directly in these acts of terrorism at the behest of the Medellín Cartel’s top leaders.
