Mass displacement continues in Cali’s violent southeast

Mass displacement continues in Cali’s violent southeast
posted by Olle Ohlsen Pettersson
Jun 6, 2013

Despite increased police presence in Cali’s Comuna 15 district, displacement continues as gangs struggle for control over the control of local drug trafficking rackets.

Over the past weeks, over 1,500 residents in Comuna 15?s Brisas de Comuneros neighborhood have fled their homes due to threats from a group known as “Buenaventureños,” reportedly hailing from Colombia’s Pacific port city of Buenaventura. However, the local ombudsman’s office said “many” groups were vying for control over the district’s drug trafficking businesses.

“We have identified many irregular groups and the community has alerted us about one called “La Empresa.” However, not only groups from Buenaventura are present in the district, but also groups that are well-known and established on Colombian territory,” Cali ombudsman Andres Santamaria told Colombia Reports.

Among those well-known groups, Santamaria mentioned Los Urabeños, a neo-paramilitary organization hailing from the northwestern Uraba region.

“Their presence can not be denied as it can not be denied in other Colombian cities like Medellin. They are deliberately constructing generalized violence over the control of micro-trafficking, this is the case with Cali and other municipalities of the country.”

More:
http://colombiareports.com/displacement-continues-in-calis-violent-southeast/