Five years after Colombia’s peace deal, militias continue to cause havoc
Government bungling and political chaos encourage lawlessness
THERE ARE two ways to make a decent living in Bajo Cauca, the poorest region of Antioquia province, in northwest Colombia. Both are outlawed. The first, illegal mining, goes on in plain sight along the Nechí river, on the eastern edge of the region. Countless rickety boats dredge the river bed in search of gold and dump mountains of sediment on its banks.
This article appeared in the The Americas section of the print edition under the headline “Still armed, still dangerous”
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