On the Radar: De la Espriella Labels Criminal Groups ‘Terrorists’
On the Radar: De la Espriella Labels Criminal Groups ‘Terrorists’ Colombia's terrorism label, more US missile strikes, and escalating violence in Haiti in this week's On the Radar. The post On the Radar: De la Espriella Labels Criminal Groups ‘Terrorists’ appeared first on InSight Crime .
On the Radar highlights three major organized crime stories: Colombia reclassifying criminal groups as terrorists, US military strikes against drug trafficking vessels, and a gang massacre in Haiti leading to mass kidnappings. Colombia's President Abelardo de la Espriella has ordered security forces to treat all criminal groups involved in drug trafficking, illegal mining, extortion, and smuggling as "terrorists."
This directive aims to bolster judicial and financial prosecution efforts, with the military operating as a unified force. However, the term "terrorism" in Colombia has roots dating back five decades to the conflict with guerrilla groups like FARC and ELN. The US has recently designated 20 Latin American criminal groups as Foreign Terrorist Organizations, continuing a policy that has already resulted in 68 lethal strikes killing at least 227 people.
Meanwhile, a gang-linked attack in Haiti resulted in the deaths of at least 47 people and the kidnapping of over 50 others, representing one of the country's largest mass kidnappings in recent years.
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