Armed group imposes 72-hour shutdown in Santa Marta after Colombia raid

U.S. Embassy cites vehicle burnings, armed threats in Santa Marta alert

The U.S. Embassy in Colombia said the restrictions imposed in Santa Marta, a major tourist destination on Colombia’s Caribbean coast, came from Los Pachencas after a Colombian security operation against the organization. Colombian authorities deployed additional forces across the region in response.

An “armed shutdown,” known in Colombia as a “paro armado,” is a tactic used by illegal armed groups to forcibly restrict transportation, commerce and civilian activity. Unlike a civilian strike or peaceful protest, the restrictions are enforced through threats and violence. A TravelGov advisory described the restrictions as a “72-hour armed transportation blockade, shutdown of civilian activities, and absolute curfew (extending through noon on Friday).”

The embassy said authorities had reported “numerous incidents, including vehicle burnings, intimidation of commercial establishments (including armed threats and shootings), and disruption of public transportation, businesses, and movement in parts of Santa Marta and surrounding areas.” The advisory urged U.S. citizens to avoid demonstrations and areas with increased security activity, monitor local media and follow instructions from Colombian authorities.

Earlier in the week, Colombian security forces carried out a military operation that killed 13 members of Los Pachencas, including one of the group’s top commanders, according to the Colombian outlets La FM and Caracol Noticias, cited by UPI. In response to the deaths, the armed group imposed the 72-hour transportation blockade and restrictions on civilian activity, with members opening fire on businesses and setting public transportation and cargo vehicles on fire on public roads.

The Colombian government responded with a large deployment of Army troops and police units that patrolled the streets with armored vehicles and air support as part of De La Espriella’s new national security and urban defense strategy.

In a separate operation early Thursday, De La Espriella led Operation Iron in Cali, Colombia’s third-largest city — a joint military, police and judicial offensive aimed at reasserting government control over a downtown area that has historically been contested by criminal organizations. According to a post on the president’s official account, the Cali operation involved more than 80 capture orders and 101 raids across 15 neighborhoods.

The Cali operation marked the first official deployment of the new urban security units De La Espriella pledged to create during his presidential campaign. The Colombian government intends to use the large-scale Cali operation as a model for its security response elsewhere in the country, Semana reported.

Faced with the public security challenge posed by Los Pachencas’ armed shutdown in Santa Marta, the Defense Ministry and the presidency are pursuing a similar approach: an immediate security deployment, joint Army and police patrols and judicial operations aimed at restoring government control over the affected territory.