Not so long ago, armed rebel groups such as the FARC and the ELN, as well as the paramilitary factions meant to counter them, terrorized the population in most of the rural areas across the country, while the cities were ruled by the powerful drug cartels. Adding further grief to this sorry panorama was the rampant corruption found in all government, military and judicial levels. It's not an exaggeration to say that at one time, this was a nation ruled by criminals. Nonetheless, public security has improved dramatically since. First, with a large dose of help (and pressure) from the United States, the dominant cartels based in Cali and Medellin were dismantled by the mid-nineties. The power vacuum left behind was soon filled by smaller criminal groups, as well as the rebels and paramilitary, but it also allowed the government to gradually regain control of its cities. At first, the authorities made the fatal mistake of trying to negotiate with the rebel groups, which only resulted in them gaining more strength and controlling more territory. You may not consider everything you just read to be crucial information about travel and leisure. But don't be surprised if you find yourself recalling and using this very information in the next few days.
The turning point came in 2002, with the election of President Alvaro Uribe, who won on a platform of national security and soon put his plan into action. The first part of his plan was to clean-up corruption from within the military and judicial wings. Next he negotiated the surrender of most of the paramilitary groups, giving them pardons and reintegrating them into society, in tandem with an all-out war against the rebel groups, which continues to this day. While rebels still haunt parts of the country, they've been routed from most, suffering heavy losses at the hands of the military. For the first time in decades, it's now possible for Colombians as well as tourists to travel and leisure by land between most large cities, where before there was a high risk of being captured for ransom or just plain killed by the armed groups. Cities like Medellin and Bogota are now safer than many of their Brazilian counterparts. The body counts are still too high, however, but most of the violence happens within the slums. There are a few dark clouds on the horizon, however: 2010 is a Presidential election year. Proponents of a Uribe third reelection bid are running out of time, as the Colombian constitution forbids a third mandate. Since pushing through a constitutional amendment in time is unlikely, the big question is whether his successor will be able to maintain the pressure on the illegal armed groups and the criminal gangs, or will we see a return to the chaos that once brought this country to its knees? Another danger lurking around the corner comes from outside Colombia: Venezuela.
The turning point came in 2002, with the election of President Alvaro Uribe, who won on a platform of national security and soon put his plan into action. The first part of his plan was to clean-up corruption from within the military and judicial wings. Next he negotiated the surrender of most of the paramilitary groups, giving them pardons and reintegrating them into society, in tandem with an all-out war against the rebel groups, which continues to this day. While rebels still haunt parts of the country, they've been routed from most, suffering heavy losses at the hands of the military. For the first time in decades, it's now possible for Colombians as well as tourists to travel and leisure by land between most large cities, where before there was a high risk of being captured for ransom or just plain killed by the armed groups. Cities like Medellin and Bogota are now safer than many of their Brazilian counterparts. The body counts are still too high, however, but most of the violence happens within the slums. There are a few dark clouds on the horizon, however: 2010 is a Presidential election year. Proponents of a Uribe third reelection bid are running out of time, as the Colombian constitution forbids a third mandate. Since pushing through a constitutional amendment in time is unlikely, the big question is whether his successor will be able to maintain the pressure on the illegal armed groups and the criminal gangs, or will we see a return to the chaos that once brought this country to its knees? Another danger lurking around the corner comes from outside Colombia: Venezuela.
