Colombia Deploys Troops to Santa Marta After Gang Violence

Troops moved through the largely deserted streets of Santa Marta on Wednesday as President Abelardo de la Espriella sought to restore calm in the Caribbean resort city, a day after an outbreak of violence that authorities attribute to a drug-trafficking gang.

In a working-class district in the city's northeast, residents queued outside the few supermarkets still open, watched over by rifle-carrying police officers.

"We woke up this morning afraid to go out and see what the situation was, but you have to go out to stock up on supplies," said taxi driver Antonio Ochoa.

On Tuesday, arsonists torched at least three vehicles, among them a taxi and a public bus, while armed men threatened shopkeepers in broad daylight, spreading fear through the city. De la Espriella blamed the Sierra Nevada Self-Defense Forces and ordered troops into Santa Marta in response.

The president said the group intended to "set fire" to parts of the Caribbean region as retaliation for a military operation that killed José Pérez Villanueva, known as "Cholo," whom the government identifies as the organization's second-in-command.

"I swear by Colombia and by my life that I will finish them off," de la Espriella said Tuesday night in Santa Marta, wearing a bulletproof vest as he toured the city in an armored vehicle. "I will leave no stone unturned until I find them... and if they do not surrender, I will send them to hell in a body bag."

De la Espriella took office last month after pledging to wield an "iron fist" against illegal armed groups. The troop deployment to Santa Marta, a city of about 480,000 people, is the first of his administration.

He has also halted all peace talks with armed groups initiated by his progressive predecessor, Gustavo Petro, including negotiations with self-defense forces such as the Sierra Nevada group, which emerged after the demobilization of paramilitary groups in the early 2000s.

According to police, the group operates in the departments of Magdalena — where Santa Marta is located — La Guajira and Cesar, and has been linked to crimes including drug trafficking and extortion.

Magdalena Gov. María Margarita Guerra toured the public market on Wednesday, where all vegetable, fruit and meat stalls were shuttered. She and her team handed out flyers reading "Extortion doesn't pay" and urged vendors to reopen.

"I know it's hard to trust. There have been decades of violence, but we have to do our part and say, 'Let's unite,'" Guerra told reporters. She described reopening the public market as vital, calling it the "heart of commerce."

Guerra estimated that more than 1,500 additional police officers and military personnel had been deployed across the region.

Meanwhile, hundreds of tourists relaxed on Santa Marta's beach, listening to music, drinking beer and sunbathing, even as most nearby restaurants and shops remained closed.

Orlando Andrade, 64, said he was caught off guard by the armed strike in the city center Tuesday when he noticed public transportation was scarce. When he asked why, a street vendor told him to "hide."

"The strike did affect us because we couldn't enjoy other beaches," said Andrade, a journalist vacationing with his family.