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April 2nd, 2016 
Awake Goy 
Christof Lehmann (nsnbc) : Los Urabenos, a.k.a. the Gaitanista Self-Defense Forces of Colombia (AGC), shut down several areas in northern Colombia while carrying out attacks against a police station and security forces. The right-wing paramilitary has effectively established itself as “de facto power in charge” in several key communities in the region and declared a transport and commercial shutdown.
The development is disturbing as Colombia’s largest left-wing guerrilla, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia – Peoples’ Army and the government are in the final stages of peace talks that would result in the decommissioning of the FARC-EP’s weapons and the transformation of the FARC-EP to a non-military political organization.
Last week the Foundation for Peace and Reconciliation (PARES) warned that many of Colombia’s municipalities will be at risk and some at extreme risk after a disarmament of the FARC-EP.
Los Urabenos’ campaign comes also only days after the government and Colombia’s National Liberation Army (Ejército de Liberación Nacional – ELN) launched official peace talks that aim at a bilateral ceasefire, the transformation of the ELN to a non-military, political organization and other peace talks parallel to the peace talks between the government and the FARC-EP.
The Colombian government, including Defense Minister Luis Carlos Villages and President Juan Manuel Santos agree, along with the FARC-EP, the ELN, and international parties including the UN that the greatest threat to peace, security and stability today emerges from right-wing neo-paramilitaries. The government is, however, attempting to downplay the importance of the latest Los Urabenos campaign as well as the importance of the transport and economic shutdown that the group has announced.
The latest campaign comes as the government and leftist guerrilla are engaging in the inherently dangerous and difficult process of working out a transition of de facto policing power. That is, the government establishing control in FARC-EP and ELN controlled areas while providing security and avoiding massacres by right-wing death squads.
Los Urabeno’s latest campaign has turned entire city centers in northern Colombia into ghost towns with people fearing to leave their homes and shopkeepers fearing to open for business. Police had to provide armed guards for the flight controller of the Uraba airport and escort him to work. In Carepa, the Mayor gave his staff leave and told them they could stay at home. Los Urabenos shut down all traffic between Colombia’s second-largest city Medellin and the Caribbean coast. More than half of Cordoba province and large swaps of Antioquia, Bolivar and Sucre provinces are reportedly “paralyzed”.
The Venezuelan government has suspicions that Los Urabenos also are involved in a recent series of high-profile assassinations in Venezuela. Meanwhile, Colombia’s Defense Minister Luis Carlos Villages announced that the government and military would continue to “be on guard” and if necessary target ELN troops should they run into them. Los Urabenos have close links to former Colombian President and leader of the Democratic Center party Alvaro Uribe as well as to his brother Santiago Uribe who recently was arrested and charged with homicide.
CH/L – nsnbc 02.04.2016
Source Article from http://nsnbc.me/2016/04/02/right-wing-paramilitary-los-urabenos-shut-down-northern-colombia/
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