Le crime organisé que nous ne voyons pas

Five days of sustained combat between illegal armed groups have triggered a humanitarian crisis in the municipality of Linares, located in the department of Nariño, Colombia. The violence has forced hundreds of residents into confinement within their homes or displacement toward urban centers, overwhelming local authorities who are struggling to manage the emergency. On Monday night, October 19, the Mayor’s office of Linares and the Governor’s office of Nariño established a humanitarian corridor to extract at least 400 inhabitants trapped in three mountainous hamlets known as Parapetos, Tambillo de Bravos, and La Cocha. The conflict has created severe conditions for civilians caught in the crossfire. Hours before the evacuation effort began, a farmer confined in his home in the district of Bella Florida recorded a video circulating on social media. He described the terror of being locked inside with ten other people while rifle fire erupted outside, noting that the shooting was intense and relentless. The man stated that he had been unable to leave for more than a day to work or gather food. He emphasized the presence of vulnerable individuals, including children and elderly adults up to 75 years old, who were waiting for the violence to cease. In the recording, he pleaded for help, asking the mayor or whoever held authority to come and free them because they lacked basic comforts and could not exit their residence. In response to these urgent appeals, Alex Gonzalez, the Secretary of Peace and Security for the Nariño Governor’s office, coordinated with Ivan Zambrano, the mayor of Linares, to launch the nighttime operation. Gonzalez clarified that the intervention was not intended as a military occupation. Instead, he framed the action as a call for comprehensive social investment in the territory and the opening of humanitarian channels. His primary objective was to protect the civilian population caught in the middle of a large-scale armed conflict. Mayor Zambrano highlighted the crucial role played by local residents during the rescue. He noted that courageous citizens used their personal vehicles, including pickup trucks and dump trucks, to navigate the difficult terrain. These drivers assisted officials in extracting residents from their homes in the affected hamlets and transporting them safely to the main town center. The displaced individuals were temporarily housed in the local coliseum in the urban area of Linares, where they received necessary assistance from government agencies. Estimates indicate that approximately 600 people have fled from rural areas to the municipal seat to escape the heavy fighting over territorial dominance. The spillover effects of the conflict have impacted neighboring regions. Authorities in the adjacent municipalities of Los Andes and Sotomayor decided to suspend classes in educational institutions due to the security situation. This disruption underscores how the instability in Linares extends beyond its immediate borders, affecting daily life in surrounding communities. While the immediate focus remains on the physical safety of the displaced population, broader analysis suggests that the visibility of these armed groups often obscures the wider criminal networks that sustain them. Observers note that public discourse frequently concentrates on the names, structures, and leaders of these factions, treating them as stable entities. However, organized crime requires resources, relationships, and intermediaries to convert violence into political and economic capital. The armed components are merely the visible part of a fluid phenomenon. Understanding the dynamics of these groups is essential for combating organized crime, yet focusing solely on their military structure fails to explain the underlying mechanisms that produce and maintain such violence. The exposure of group details, such as membership and command lines, can actually hinder their operations, suggesting that much of the publicly available information may be incomplete or misleading regarding the true nature of these organizations. The current crisis in Linares highlights the gap between official responses and the complex reality on the ground. As authorities continue to manage the influx of displaced persons, the root causes of the territorial disputes remain unresolved. The reliance on temporary shelters and ad hoc rescue missions points to a systemic challenge in addressing conflicts driven by illicit economies. Residents continue to demand decisive intervention to end the cycle of fear and confinement that has defined their lives for the past week. The situation remains volatile, with no clear indication of when the hostilities will subside or when normalcy might return to the rural areas of Nariño.