Santa Marta’s public transport was paralyzed and businesses were closed or restricted for a second day Wednesday after an armed group ordered closures in retaliation for a Monday military operation that killed 13 of its members. The president sent 1,100 troops and police.
Police reported that members of the Conquering Self-Defense Forces of the Sierra Nevada (ACSN) fired shots at businesses Tuesday and set public-transport and cargo vehicles on fire. The U.S. Embassy issued a security alert for Santa Marta and surrounding areas in Magdalena and neighboring La Guajira, urging people to avoid areas of reported unrest.
The U.N. human rights office in Colombia condemned the group’s restrictions on freedom of movement. Security sources say the ACSN has more than 800 members and is involved in cocaine production and trafficking, as well as extortion of businesses in the transport and tourism sectors.
