Colombia tourist jewel plagued by violence

With snow-capped peaks tumbling towards the turquoise waters of the Caribbean, the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta National Park is 1 of the jewels successful Colombia’s tourism crown.

But down the picture-postcard views lies a much sinister reality.

Armed groups are holding section businesses to ransom and terrorising Indigenous communities.

The signing of a 2016 bid woody betwixt the Colombian authorities and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) ended much than fractional a period of warfare and helped propel a state agelong associated with druglords and rebels onto the planetary tourism stage.

Since then, thousands of visitors person poured into the Sierra Nevada each day, trekking done pristine jungle to white-sand beaches oregon climbing towards Colombia’s mountaintop Lost City, which predates Peru’s Machu Picchu.

Few announcement the men successful camouflage watching from a distance.

They are members of the Self-Defence Forces of the Sierra Nevada (ACSN), a radical of erstwhile paramilitaries that controls cocaine trafficking routes successful the portion and is besides progressive successful amerciable golden mining.

Extortion has go different lucrative concern for the group. The “Conquistadores”, arsenic ACSN members are often called, request a chopped of the net of hotels, circuit autobus companies and Indigenous communities, whose hand-woven hammocks and bags are snapped up by visitors.

“We are acrophobic and anxious astir the future,” said Atanasio Moscote, the politician of the Kogui Indigenous people, who unrecorded precocious up successful the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta National Park, which the Kogui see “the bosom of the world”.

In February, the authorities closed Tayrona National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site overlooking the Caribbean, for much than 2 weeks pursuing threats against parkland rangers, allegedly issued by the ACSN.

Authorities person accused the radical of pressuring Indigenous Wayuu residents successful the parkland to defy a crackdown connected amerciable activities specified arsenic logging.

Together, Tayrona and the Sierra Nevada nationalist parks received much than 873,000 visitors past year.

The influx of tourists marks a melodramatic displacement from the 1980s and 90s, erstwhile the portion was a battleground for brutal clashes betwixt paramilitaries and FARC rebels.

Ten years aft FARC laid down its arms, the ACSN – founded by a paramilitary person who was aboriginal extradited to the United States – holds sway successful overmuch of the area.

In caller months, Colombia’s biggest cause cartel, the Gulf Clan, has tried to musculus in, vying for power and prompting clashes with the ACSN.

Caught successful the mediate are Indigenous communities “who don’t talk Spanish, and who unrecorded disconnected their crops and their accepted knowledge”, said Luis Salcedo, politician of the Arhuaco people, who besides unrecorded successful the Sierra Nevada.

Gustavo Petro, Colombia’s archetypal left-wing president successful modern history, included the ACSN successful his bid to negociate the disarmament of each equipped groups successful the country.

But 4 years aft helium launched his “Paz Total” (total peace) campaign, the ACSN inactive dominates the Santa Marta area, said researcher Norma Vera.

Extortion has present emerged arsenic a cardinal contented successful the run to elite Petro’s successor successful polls starting connected May 31.

The Ministry of Defence says it has received much than 46,000 extortion complaints since 2022.

Omar Garcia, president of the edifice relation successful the coastal metropolis of Santa Marta, a gateway to the Sierra Nevada, said helium fears for Colombia’s fragile tourism boom.

“Any quality affecting the representation [of a destination] and visitant information makes tourists deliberation twice,” helium said.