Colombia president orders troops to violence-hit Caribbean city

Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella ordered troops into the Caribbean city of Santa Marta on Tuesday amid a wave of violence following the killing of one of his group's leaders. The self-styled Conquering Self Defence Forces of the Sierra Nevada (ACSN) attacked shops and set vehicles ablaze, despite a 48-hour curfew they had announced.

Santa Marta, which leads to the Unesco World Heritage Site Tayrona National Park, saw deserted streets, burned-out vehicles, and non-functional shops. The president announced that the ACSN had killed 13 of their members, including their second-in-command, "Cholo," in a previous operation. De la Espriella declared Santa Marta to be militarized, warning that any non-compliant individuals would be "taken down."

The security forces are currently deployed along the route connecting Santa Marta with the La Guajira department, where the ACSN also operates. The US-backed president has vowed a harsh crackdown on Colombia's drug-running groups, from former paramilitary forces to current guerrilla bands, pledging bombing raids and press conferences next to rebel corpses.

The ACSN, led by "Cholo," is one of many armed groups De la Espriella's leftist predecessor, Gustavo Petro, failed to negotiate with. The group is estimated to have around 800 members. De la Espriella has ruled out any dialogue with armed groups, aiming to either imprison or eliminate them with assistance from the United States.