Paramilitary Forces: Another Dimension of Colombia's Armed Conflict

 
In a recent interview with the Miami Herald, Colombian General Fernando Tapias predicted that "in two or three years, paramilitaries will be the country's greatest threat." Many analysts agree that as these groups gain strength, they pose a significant challenge to Colombia's viability as a country.

The largest paramilitary group, the United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia (AUC), was formed more than a decade ago by ranchers in the northeastern part of the country. It began as a force of 850 men whose declared goal was to fight subversive groups in the area. Today, the AUC has more than 8,000 fighters, making it Colombia's second largest nongovernmental armed combatant. The largest is the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), whose ranks are estimated at 17,000.

The leader of the AUC, Carlos Castaño, told the Washington Post that he counts among his fighters 135 former army officials and more than 1000 former soldiers and policemen. He publicly admitted on Colombian TV that a high percentage of the AUC's financing stems from drug trafficking.

In an article in the Colombian news magazine Semana, one of the heads of the AUC's training program claimed that all recruits join on a voluntary basis. "Normally, 1000 young people present themselves at his school every year to enlist voluntarily in the AUC," the magazine reported. "Many are attracted by the 500,000 peso ($250) salary plus food and the 10-day break every two months. Others join to avenge the death of a loved one; they are given psychological evaluations to avoid incidents that might tarnish the AUC's reputation."

According to a report released in December by Colombia's Defense Ministry, the AUC was responsible for 640 civilian deaths in 2000. The government holds the group responsible for an additional 983 deaths so far this year. Human rights groups say that the paramilitaries actually cause more than 50% of the 3600 assassinations that Colombia experiences on average per year.

Despite its origins as a counterguerrilla force, the AUC openly seeks control over territory and recognition as a political force. It has a presence in 409 municipalities, the equivalent of 40% of Colombia's territory, including some violent incursions into urban areas. The group owes its strength to the weakness of the Colombian state, the atrocities committed by the guerrillas and the anguish of those who have sought the paramilitaries' protection, without considering the long-term consequences of this decision.

In a Gallup poll conducted last year, approximately 15% of the Colombian population approved of the paramilitary forces, five times more than the percentage that expressed support for the FARC.

As the editors of Semana note, Colombia's challenge lies in the fact that its citizens have chosen to back armed groups instead of the country's legal institutions. Supporters of these groups seem to be operating under the belief that, in order to be saved, democracy in Colombia must first be destroyed.