Social and human rights organizations, including CAHUCOPANA, PASCAAN, and CORMEPACOSAM, have issued an urgent alert about a troubling rise in paramilitary activity in the Northeast, North, and Bajo Cauca regions of Antioquia, as well as in the Magdalena Medio region. This situation poses a serious threat to the civilian population and requires immediate attention from national and international authorities.
Since January 17, 2023, incursions and paramilitary attacks have been reported in Bajo Cauca, particularly in an area known as "El Tanque," located in the Doradas Altas and Doradas Bajo neighborhoods of the municipality of Valdivia. This type of violence has escalated in both frequency and intensity, indicating the consolidation of paramilitarism in the region.
A particularly tragic incident occurred on August 24, 2024, when a group of paramilitaries stormed a public establishment in the Canelos neighborhood of Santa Rosa del Sur, firing bursts of gunfire that resulted in the deaths of two civilians and left six others injured. Despite the permanent presence of a platoon from the 48th Jungle Battalion, serious questions arise about how the paramilitaries were able to enter without detection.
On August 28, 2024, it was reported that in the rural community of the Porce River canyon, between Amalfi and Anorí, at least five houses were marked with graffiti by paramilitary members in collaboration with the Office of Envigado. Additionally, the presence of heavily armed men in the area has created a climate of fear and uncertainty among the approximately 2,000 residents.
The following day, August 29, armed men identifying themselves as members of the Gulf Clan were seen in the Las Manuelas and El Pescado neighborhoods, moving through the region while wearing clothing associated with the security forces operating in the area. This situation highlights the confusion and complicity surrounding these armed groups.
On August 30, clashes were reported between the 4th Front of the Central General Staff of the FARC-EP and the ELN against the paramilitaries of the Gulf Clan in the area known as Alto del Pan. These confrontations have led to the confinement of communities in La Unión, La Corona, and Afro-descendant communities in Guamocó, in Santa Rosa del Sur de Bolívar.
Despite community requests for a stronger state presence to guarantee their human rights, the government chose to reinforce the area militarily with troops from the "112" Battalion. However, the situation worsened when the forces abandoned the village of Mina Nueva, leaving the population vulnerable and unprotected, as has occurred in other regions of the country where similar massacres have been recorded, such as La Gabarra in Norte de Santander.
Since September 9, 2024, progressive incursions by the Gulf Clan, led by alias Katin, have been documented in the neighborhoods of Lejanías, La Victoria, Chaparral, and El Trasmallo. On September 14, a group of paramilitaries infiltrated the San Luquitas neighborhood, and on September 15, they arrived in the Miralindo neighborhood, where they established an operations center.
On September 22, paramilitaries conducted an incursion into the Moralito neighborhood, which is separated from the municipal police station only by the Magdalena River. Subsequently, on September 25, a group of paramilitaries kidnapped three individuals in the Camelia neighborhood of Remedios, Antioquia, and their whereabouts remain unknown.